Episode 08: Shaulene Stanley – Nurse Educator & Charge Nurse – Sustaining Motivation, Moving from Jamaica to the U.S., and the Need for Influential Nursing Leaders
Summary
In this episode, our guest is Shaulene Stanley, a charge nurse at West Penn Hospital and former nurse educator at the University of West Indies in Jamaica.
Stanley has decades of nursing and education experience and decided to transition her life from Jamaica to Pittsburgh, PA. She discusses why she made a global career move, how she sustains motivation, the differences between healthcare in Jamaica and the U.S., and the need for influential nursing leaders.
Stanley sets a great example in her work ethic and attitude, and listeners will gain encouraging advice from her story.
Show Notes
How to Sustain Motivation
Stanley made the decision to move to the U.S. after 20+ years as a nurse and educator in Jamaica. She was motivated by a desire to gain new experiences, fresh knowledge, and a deeper understanding of nursing. As a mentor to many nurses, she shares the importance of being self-driven and having a clear goal to overcome inevitable obstacles. Much of her career path was determined by trying new opportunities, and in the process, she learned what she was passionate about, such as teaching.
Moving a Nursing Career from Jamaica to the U.S.
Transitioning to any new country is difficult on its own, and Stanley accepted the additional challenge of moving from a nurse educator role to a hospital floor. She shares the good, tough, and often funny parts of practicing nursing in a new country. Everything from communication differences to workplace relationships required adaptation to succeed.
Healthcare Differences in Jamaica and the U.S.
While there is certainly a push for more preventative, value-based care in the U.S., Stanley discusses Jamaica’s strong emphasis on primary, preventative care. This includes mandatory immunizations, neighborhood clinics, public nurses focused on rural locations, and frequent wellness checks and screenings. She also shares the payment structure for health care and different types of procedures in Jamaica.
With her background in nursing education, Stanley talks about the shift to require a BSN. Nursing student enrollment rapidly increased in the last decade, but a challenge remains to provide clinical placement and training to a surge in students. Because of an international nursing shortage, she shares tactics to ensure a steady workforce of nurses in Jamaica.
The Need for Influential Nursing Leaders
Stanley recounts a childhood memory of caring for her siblings and sick mother that set her on a trajectory of making difficult decisions, which she considers a core competency in leadership. She also discusses the important role of influence when leading people. Her experience in mentoring, teaching, and now precepting has helped her hone the skill of influence that sets a standard of care.
Overt vs Covert Racism
The conversation ends with a discussion on Stanley’s experience of being a Jamaican woman, and any racism she has encountered in the U.S. Thankfully, there is little tolerance for overt racism when providing care for sick and injured patients. She emphasizes that she’s there to do a job, no matter what type of person she is treating in the hospital bed. But there can also be more discreet forms of covert racism that come through in the way people communicate or react. Stanley does a wonderful job giving people the benefit of the doubt and encouraging teachable moments with a smile or laugh.
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Closing
Humans in Healthcare is produced by Shearwater Health in Nashville, TN, and hosted by Chief Marketing Officer, Nathan King.