Testimonials
"For anyone who works as a nursing leader in health care, the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program is a wonderful opportunity to practice what you learn in the classroom and address a real-world problem. In less than 48 hours, we were divided into small groups to come up with strategies on how to execute a plan for resolving a complex issue. Wharton’s faculty gave us new tools — project software, network diagrams and clarity worksheets. It pushed us out of our comfort zone and showed us more of the business side of sales and marketing that are needed to get things accomplished. We learned about the art of negotiation, which was extremely relevant for me since my biggest challenge as a healthcare leader is how to persuade finance leaders, who are not in the nursing discipline, to see the value of our programs. There is always a cost factor and if we’re not able to show the value or the financial return on investment, we won’t be able to fulfill our mission to our patients. Wharton most definitely has changed the way that I organize and assign tasks. It also enhanced my critical thinking skills. We spent a full day focusing on critical thinking — honing it in ourselves and in the nurses we develop. That’s important because everything is moving at such a fast pace in this ever-changing healthcare environment. As leaders, we need to be able to make sound decisions based on evidence-based practice. We need to assess and evaluate best practices so that we can minimize errors that potentially cause harm to the patients that we care for. I’ve recommended Wharton to numerous colleagues ."
Denise McNulty, DNP, MSN, RN-BC, ARNP
Department Chair, Ave Maria University Nursing Program and Clinical Education Specialist, Lee Health
"The Wharton Nursing Leaders Program was one of the best programs I’ve ever been involved with — it was applicable, it was real, it made sense — everything about it was just amazing. On a personal note, I was in the Wharton program while serving in an interim role for the chief nursing executive position at my hospital. Just being able to hold your own in a room with such talent and intelligence gave me a lot of confidence — it helped me realize that this is the role I could do. The program has helped me with everyday work challenges, from getting buy-in, to making the case for resources, to handling change management and day-to-day operations, to building trust with my staff. In fact, I plan to use some of the program’s tools with my own staff. I highly recommend this program to any nurse leader."
Katie Boston-Leary
Chief Nursing Executive, SVP, Patient Care Services Union Hospital of Cecil County, Maryland
"As the SNO (Senior Nurse Officer) and the Department Head of the Primary Care Department for a US Naval Air facility in Japan, I am responsible and accountable to the Officer in Charge for the coordination and efficient operation of all nursing and clinical services. Frequently, as acting Officer in Charge, I am responsible for all clinic operations and a staff of 110 personnel. Some 30% of our staff rotates every year to include leadership, and even our Commanding Officer (CEO equivalent) will rotate to another duty station every two or three years. Our biggest challenge is not only managing this constant turnover of staff but also completing our military requirements, ensuring staff career mentoring and providing a true patient experience. The Wharton Nursing Leaders Program has given me an improved skill set to better manage organizational change, team performance, and successful strategic planning. Specifically, I can better identify key stakeholders early when managing organizational change and not be afraid to terminate a project if needed. I’m a better leader today because of the Wharton program."
Todd Stein, CDR NC U.S. Navy
Senior Nurse Officer (22-year Navy veteran), Branch Health Clinic Atsugi, Japan
"I am a Nursing Director of the intensive care units at Texas Children’s Hospital. My scope encompasses 88 beds of critically ill children and approximately 300 nurses. Being able to set goals with executive leadership to drive performance in a quality way is really a challenge while you’re running at full capacity. The Wharton Nursing Leaders Program helped me shift my focus from operations to strategy, as well as how to maximize team performance. I’ve also been able to network with peers and develop a variety of skill sets beyond clinical, from business acumen to emotional intelligence. I highly recommend the Wharton program to nursing leaders."
Gail Parazynski
Nursing Director, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
"The Wharton Nursing Leaders Program has helped me on a number of levels. I refer to the conflict resolution piece of the program daily in my role leading 180 nurses. The nurses in my department float to every division in the hospital, so I am constantly communicating to various hospital divisions, advocating for my nurses. Wharton emphasized the importance of clear and frequent communication. We always encourage the departments to engage nurses in a conversation, so they know their competencies, their comfort level, and their limits. It’s critical to not assume that everyone is exactly the same. I’m also responsible for several large projects at my hospital, from implementing a system-wide uniform program that affected 4,000 employees, to recruiting and onboarding new nurses, to evaluating patient satisfaction. Wharton’s project management piece was extremely relevant — how to successfully line up your strategic partners and get buy-in from other divisions, including explaining why we should invest our efforts. Being able to roadmap that out and manage it from concept all the way through has been a key benefit of my Wharton experience. I learned that not all ideas should get implemented — that you need to be very mindful and intentional and make sure you have the evidence and support behind a new idea before moving forward."
Joleen Lonigan, RN, MSN, NE-BC
Nursing Manager, Patient Care Resources, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
