ACNL in Action: Lessons in Nursing Leadership

Nurse turnover is one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare leadership, and one of the clearest signals an organization sends about its culture. So how do you build a culture nurses don't want to leave? In this episode, Charlene talks with Cheryl Reinking, Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health, which recently earned its fifth Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentia...

Advanced practice nurses are trained to fill critical gaps in care, from rural surgery to behavioral health to primary care. But many health systems don't fully understand what APRNs can do, where they can practice, or how to support them effectively. In this episode, Charlene talks with Surani Hayre-Kwan, Sheree Scott, and Elizabeth Pulatie, three advanced practice nurses from across differe...

Artificial intelligence is already changing nursing workflows, but many healthcare systems are making decisions without nursing leadership at the table. In this episode, Charlene talks with Nerissa Ambers and Carlene Lugtu, Director and Manager, respectively, of the Health Informatics Transformation Team at Stanford Medicine. They talk about why nursing leadership matters in the AI space and how n...

Charlene talks with Dr. Shannon Whittington, a nurse consultant and LGBTQ+ expert who helps educate healthcare organizations to better understand their patients and employees. They discuss some of the invisible barriers to healthcare that LGBTQ+ folks face, how lack of LGBTQ+ competence on the part of healthcare workers can affect patient trust, disclosure, and ultimately health outcomes, and what...

Charlene talks with Drs. Surani Hayre-Kwan and Alice Martanegara, members of ACNL's Health Policy Committee. They've been following all the most important healthcare legislation this year, both at the state level in California as well as nationally, and to give an update on what's been happening and what to keep an eye on in 2026. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charlen...

Charlene talks with Jessica Cheverie, MSN, RN, and Mark Reed, MBA, CHPA. Jessica is Director of Clinical Services at TRL Systems, a leading fire and life safety and security systems integrator in Southern California. Mark is Executive Director of Campus Support Operations at City of Hope, responsible for the planning, direction, and coordination of support activities, including security, all throu...

Charlene talks with Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA, Chief Nursing Officer for Sutter Health. Kat is responsible for executive nursing leadership and workforce development for over 16,000 nurses throughout Sutter's dozens of hospitals and clinics, making her the perfect person to talk to about workforce development and the leadership pipeline. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠...

Charlene talks with Nikaella Mariano, a nursing student at the University of San Francisco, who recently presented at ACNL’s annual conference on strategies for revitalizing rural nursing. Nikaella is here to talk about the situation with rural nursing, why this topic is so important to our communities, and how we might improve things. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠)...

Charlene talks with Dr. Shiloh Williams, Assistant Professor at San Diego State University School of Nursing and National Rural Health Association Fellow. Dr. Williams shares her journey from bedside nursing to health policy advocacy, sparked by her frustration with repeatedly putting "band-aids" on systemic healthcare problems in her rural community. She discusses how she overcame the i...

Charlene talks with Molly Rodriguez, Senior Program Manager at Stanford Health Care. Molly recently presented at the ACNL Annual Conference in February on a succession planning tool she and her team developed to identify future leaders. The assessment tool was designed to be able to be completed in just ten minutes and could serve as a model for other organizations looking to improve their own suc...

Charlene talks with Tim Darling, Co-Founder of Laudio and President of Laudio Insights. Laudio is a staff relationship management platform that has been instrumental for thousands of nurse leaders in tracking and automating routine management tasks. With so much data on how leaders relate to their staff, Laudio has been able to glean some insights they’ve published into a book, Leader Inspired Wor...

Charlene talks with Anne Herleth, Vice President of Member Insights at the Health Management Academy, which put out a recent report on the results of a survey on frontline perspectives on safe staffing. It’s a must read for anyone in a nurse management role that needs to contend with the often competing priorities of maintaining staff satisfaction while meeting budgets. Host: Charlene Platon, MS,...

Charlene talks with Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN, and Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN, about the host of new healthcare legislation taking effect this year. They discuss AB 977, AB2975, SB963, SB1385, AB1316, and AB 2319. It's a packed episode with lots of important information for healthcare workers, so lock in. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN (ht...

Charlene talks with Bonnie Clipper DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, FAAN, founder of the Virtual Nursing Academy, a self-directed online program designed to help organizations build, launch, and optimize their virtual care delivery models. Dr. Clipper is a nurse futurist and was among the first to recognize the usefulness and importance of virtual nursing as a care model. Host: Charlene Platon, MS,...

Charlene talks with Marla Poston, Director of Patient Care Services at Sharp Healthcare. AB977 and AB2975 are two recently signed bills that address the problem of workplace violence in hospitals. The ACNL Health Policy Committee has been following these bills closely, and Marla is here to talk about the current state of workplace violence and what changes these new bills will bring. We're ru...

Charlene talks with Nancy Blake, chair of ACNL’s Healthy Work Environment committee and Chief Nursing Officer at the Los Angeles General Medical Center, formerly known as the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. Dr. Blake was recently a panelist at the Healthcare in the Age of Personalization Summit, discussing what nursing can teach physicians and CEOs about leadership. She and Charlene discuss...

Charlene talks with Sylvain Trepanier, System Chief Nursing Officer at Providence. Sylvain oversees a team of tens of thousands of nurses across a 51-hospital system, making him ideally suited to talk about all the things that go into staffing and recruitment. Charlene and Syl talk about skill mix when building a team, solutions to address the nursing shortage, and technology innovations that can...

Charlene talks with Dr. Tanya Scott Cannady. Tanya is the Clinical Services Director for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland and is also an executive board member and treasurer for the American Cannabis Nurses Association, advocating for the integration of cannabis therapeutics into patient care. Charlene and Tanya talk about the safety and regulatory issues involved in cannabis nursing, as well as the s...

Charlene talks with Janette Moreno, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD- BC, author of the new book Human Caring Through Healing Haiku. Janette has served in some of the top nursing leadership roles at hospitals like Cedars-Sinai and Stanford Children’s Health, in addition to serving on ACNL’s Board of Directors representing our South region. Her new book combines the gentle power of haiku with concepts found in...

Charlene talks with Grant McGaugh, CEO of 5 Star BDM and host of the podcast Follow the Brand. Grant is an expert on business strategy and digital marketing, who’s been recognized as a global thought leader. His weekly podcast is one of the top shows on the topic of Personal Branding, and he’s here today to give us a primer. Grant will also be presenting a webinar for ACNL later this month. Visit...

Charlene talks with Dr. Chibunna Nwaobia, also known as Dr. Chibu. Dr. Chibu has made significant contributions in the field of healthcare leadership and management. As the founder and Executive Director of NursesBond Inc, he has created a platform that serves as a leadership, educational, and social network for healthcare professionals. He and Charlene talk about the importance of networking for...

Charlene talks with Teri Sholder, author of the new book "Ascent to Excellence: A Blueprint for Healthcare Board and Leadership Success". Teri is a seasoned nurse executive specializing in improving health system quality and operational efficiency, with experience across a wide variety of provider settings. She and Charlene talk about the factors that contribute to clinical excellence, f...

Charlene talks with Pam Allen, Government Affairs Representative for Redlands Community Hospital. Pam was previously Director of Emergency Services at Redlands, and she currently serves on ACNL’s Health Policy Committee, working to educate ACNL members on how they can get involved in shaping legislation. Pam and Charlene talk about how she transitioned from a more traditional nursing role to worki...

Charlene talks with Jeremy Fischbach, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Happy, a peer-based mental health service whose mission is to create a more supportive culture by expanding access to mental health care and teaching and inspiring people to better emotionally support each other. Charlene and Jeremy talk about Happy's unique proactive outreach approach and the importance of getting m...

Charlene talks with Lee Rubin, a keynote speaker who focuses on leading high performing teams. While attending Penn State in college, Lee was Captain of the Penn State football team, and since then he’s worked as a human resources professional at Fortune 500 companies like Merril Lynch and Johnson & Johnson. Lee is a frequent speaker and panelist at corporations, conferences and schools throug...