The place to go to accomplish your goals

In 2016 Laura Iacono, the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NSCU) Nurse Manager at North Shore University Hospital, helped the hospital obtain the prestigious Silver Beacon Award. Her passion for staff development, professionalism and empowerment has resulted in the NSCU’s achievement of 60% advanced certification by bedside nurses and 70% Clinical Ladder Nurses. The NSCU is a leader in quality metrics, with a 66% reduction in CAUTI, 100% reduction in CLABSI, 75% reduction in pressure ulcers and a 25% reduction in falls in 2015. Iacono was also the recipient of the Nurse Leader Excellence Award at North Shore University Hospital and the Nurse.com GEM Northeast Reginal Winner for Nursing Leadership.

“This is not an award for my accomplishments, but an award that tells the story of a team committed to excellence every day with every patient,” said Iacono when she received the GEM award. She pointed to North Shore University Hospital’s neurosurgical ICU unit winning the AACN Silver Beacon Award for Excellence and the process she and fellow nurses pursued as her proudest moments.

“Now they [the nurses] know the strength of the team is so much stronger than the individual,” Iacono said.  She said the Beacon award confirmed her ability to encourage and empower her staff – and the staff in turn showed a positive attitude on the unit, even under difficult circumstances.

The decision to stick with what she knew best and what she enjoyed most—neuroscience nursing—has been instrumental in her practice. “It excites me, it drives me and inspires me every day,” she said.

Iacono offered some words of wisdom to new nurses: “Always ask questions of senior nurses, nurse leaders, physicians and NPs. You will not learn everything if you only rely on your bedside care to gain knowledge.”

With 30 years of neuroscience nursing behind her, Iacono recalled how strongly she felt about the specialty when she began her first position on a neuroscience unit, “I felt I was the luckiest nurse in the hospital.”

An early mentor, Beth Honan, was the educator who passed on to Iacono a depth of knowledge and later met with her and other nurses weekly in preparation for the neuroscience certification exam. “I would watch her talk to physicians about patients and see how the physicians respected her knowledge and judgment, and I knew I wanted to be just like her,” Iacono said of Honan.

Iacono offered some more practical advice: “If a manager, leader or mentor asks you to do something beyond your comfort zone or even outside of your area of interest, say ‘Thank you for the opportunity,’ then take that opportunity and work with it to the end. They may see something in you that you do not see in yourself. You will be surprised at what you can do.”

Over the years Human Resources professionals have looked at many different industries besides healthcare to grow their career, but with the constant advancement of HR strategies within health systems there isn’t a better time to become a part of New York State’s largest private employer’s team. Hear from Irene Faranda, Associate Executive Director at South Oaks Hospital, about why she chose to pursue an HR career within healthcare and what it means to her to be a part of Northwell Health. 

Q: Please explain why you chose to pursue your career at Northwell Health.

A: I grew up in Queens and Northwell Health’s  Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC) was the hospital in our community.  When I was in my early 20’s my mom got very sick and was a patient at LIJMC as well as Hospice Care Network, a proud member of Northwell Health.  I remember the great care that both my mom and family received during our difficult time.  Although my mom passed, I will never forget how supportive and caring the employees were.

When I was graduating college I saw an opportunity at Hospice Care Network for an HR Generalist position.  I knew that I needed to be part of an organization that did such rewarding work so I explored the position.  What better way to enter the field of Human Resources!  I worked there for two years and really felt like I was giving back.  I did eventually leave to work in a corporate HR Manager role but after eight years away, I realized that I needed to go back to healthcare and continue to support their great mission and staff.

A job posting found its way to me for a Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) Director role at LIJMC and I decided to pursue it.  The opportunity appealed to me because it was a strategic business partner role working directly with the hospital leadership team as well as front line staff.  That is how I found my way back to Northwell Health.

Q: Please explain your career progressions throughout the years.

A: When I returned to Northwell Health at LIJMC I assumed the Human Resources Business Partner role.  During my first year I was embedded in the operation, focused on building relationships and led employee engagement and talent management efforts for my work groups of 1000+ employees.  I was also able to build my competence in labor relations.  I was part of a great campus HR team that was not only supportive but fun.

After my first year, the lead HRBP role opened at Zucker Hillside Hospital (ZHH) with 1200+ employees.  Supporting the field of behavioral health is a great experience and I found a calling working in a facility with this population of patients.  In the lead Business partner role, I was a member of the Executive Leadership team and able to develop strategy and lead HR and Patient experience programs that contributed to the facility achieving its business goals.  I was also able to work on corporate projects such as the myrecognition program and acted as a thought partner on various talent management initiatives.  I worked in this role for two years.

An opportunity then presented itself that would expand my responsibilities and I moved to South Oaks Hospital  to be the lead HRBP.  South Oaks is also a behavioral health facility but has a three hundred bed nursing and rehabilitation center on the campus with a total of 1300+ employees.  I have been in this role for a year now and it has been an amazing experience.  Similar to ZHH I am a member of the executive leadership team working to develop and executive our strategy to build leadership capabilities, employee engagement and workforce planning to enhance our patient experience. I am also leading the HR and change management efforts to integrate this facility into Northwell Health’s HR programs and technology.

Q: What does it mean for you to be a part of Northwell Health’s Human Resources team?

A: Overall, Northwell Health has provided me the opportunity and development to become a strategic HRPB and a member of the facility leadership team.  I truly feel valued by the organization for my contributions. Being part of an organization of 61,000+ great employees, working together to help people, and who are setting the trend in healthcare makes me proud to tell people that I work here (oh and it is pretty awesome to not have to travel to the city every day to go to work!)

As we celebrate Healthcare Human Resources Week we spoke with Chief People Officer, Joe Moscola, about his own transition from Physician Assistant to a Human Resources professional, as well as the transformation of HR careers within healthcare and the amazing team he has throughout the many facilities within our organization.  

Can you please tell me about your career progression and what led you into an HR role?

I started my career as a Cardiac Surgery Physician Assistant.  Coming out of training there was nothing I wanted to do more and so I begged for my first job as a new graduate.  After practicing for a number of years, I had this nagging feeling that would not go away that I had more to give.   My career goal had always been to help change people’s lives which a clinical role certainly allowed me to do but I felt like I could make an even bigger impact.

Unsure of what to do next, a mentor of mine encouraged me to go back to school and “do something about it”.  Upon receiving a Master in Business Administration I went on to become a project manager outside of the health system however quickly returned taking on a number of operational roles throughout the health system.

While having the privilege of holding the role of SVP of Ambulatory Operations our President and CEO Michael Dowling approached me about taking over as the head of Human Resources.   This was during a time when the role and future of HR in organizations across all industries was being called to question.  Michael’s offer immediately intrigued me because I felt like this type of a role would further allow me to advance my career goal.

Now having been in the role for some time I look back at the last number of years and consider myself very lucky to have been given this opportunity.  The work we do and the value we provide to our most valuable asset, our people, is a privilege.

How have HR careers in healthcare changed over the years? How do you see them developing in the future?

Over the past decade, top healthcare executives have been relying more and more on HR for innovative and data driven business strategies.  In the world of big data and more advanced technology, HR professionals have needed to be data and digitally savvy, focusing on measurable actions that move the business toward its goals.  This has transformed traditionally transactional HR roles into more strategic ones.

Within the Health System, our HR team has embraced that change.  We continue to move away from just the day-to-day management of HR operations and have focused on becoming true partners with the business.  This has resulted in HR’s greater commitment to workforce planning, shaping culture and the employee experience, coaching and developing leaders, building talent pipelines and empowering managers by driving self-service.  Given that we are a healthcare organization, we’ve also had the ability and support to drive more HR roles within the wellness space, focusing on the holistic well-being of our employees.

As technology continues to advance and we really focus on the overall experience our employees, new roles will develop within HR.  These roles will require advanced skill sets.  Our HR professionals will need to be more analytical and enablers of change, with a focus on supporting a diverse and inclusive environment.

How does HR within Northwell impact our organization?

We support business strategy and help to maximize the potential of our strongest asset, our people.  We focus on the well-being of our employees within our culture of caring, innovation and safety, enabling them to be their best, so they can take care of others.

We affect the business from the hiring to retiring of our employees, ensuring that we have the right people in the right jobs at the right time in an environment that values diversity and fosters inclusion.  We empower our current and future leaders by providing development opportunities and support along their journeys.  We help ensure that our employees are rewarded appropriately and recognized for the great work that they do.

What would you like to say to our HR employees during their recognition week?

Thank you!  I am so proud of this team and all that we have been able to accomplish together.  Our people are the backbone of this organization and we affect them every day.  The work that we do matters.  By providing support to our employees we enable them to do their job of providing care to our patients effectively and compassionately.  Every patient that chooses us to take care of them deserves exceptional customer experience and the highest quality of care possible.  Because of you, our employees are able to provide that.

Picture: From left to right, Lyndon is the 5th person standing near the middle 

Each year at Northwell Health we set the goal to help as many Veterans as possible, and without the help of our Veteran Program Specialist, Lyndon Chichester, we wouldn’t have been able to hire over 500 veterans last year alone. It’s with great pleasure that I was able to sit down and speak with him the other day to learn about his transition home and what it means to him to help others who are going through the same process. 

On April 24 2001 at Fort Hamilton Military Base in Brooklyn, NY,  Lyndon Chichester, with right hand raised calmly uttered “I, Lyndon Chichester, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” With that statement Lyndon began an 8 year journey in the United States Air Force. During this time he was a Computer Network, Switching, and Cryptographic Systems Specialist, stationed in Arizona and Virginia, both during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Lyndon also completed various technical and military training in Texas and Mississippi. He later separated from the Air Force as a Staff Sargent at Langley AFB in October 2008, and received an honorable discharge. Subsequently, Lyndon moved to New York and attended New York University School of Professional Studies, where he earned a BS Degree in Leadership and Management Studies with a concentration in International Business and Global Management.

When Lyndon graduated in May of 2012 he started applying online to many openings at various well-known companies and was surprised when calls to interview weren’t coming in as frequently as he expected. “I felt like I was the toast of the town when I graduated. I thought that because I was a Veteran with a Bachelors Degree there was no way I would go the whole summer of 2012 without a job offer. However, that’s exactly what happened” Lyndon states. He also recalls, “I went from feeling high to feeling low real quick, and to add to that the financial pressure of maintaining a family was scary and daunting.”

As the season switched to Fall, Lyndon’s friend who was an IT contractor employed with another organization, gave him the business card of the IT recruiter that hired him. “When my friend gave me the business card I was very skeptical of my marketability as a candidate at the time and was expecting another failed attempt at employment. I didn’t know why I was calling this recruiter because my last IT related job was in the Air Force and 3 years had already passed.” The phone call was successful because Lyndon was invited in for a face to face interview at that organization’s Midtown office and was hired as an IT Account Executive, which in 3 months turned into an IT Recruiter role. “My two years at my previous organization was a great learning experience because it is where I learned what employers look for in candidates. I also learned the art of the resume, recruiting, and interviewing.” After four  years of IT recruiting experience in the staffing world, Lyndon joined the Northwell Health family as a Talent Acquisition Specialist in June 2016. In December of 2016, Lyndon was promoted and is now the Veteran Program Specialist for Northwell Health. In this role he leverages his background as an experienced recruiter and a United States Air Force Veteran to work with the Veteran community, helping to drive Northwell Health’s Veteran recruitment goals and efforts.

Lyndon said “It is an honor and a privilege to work with our Veterans. My passion is to help all of our Veteran applicants gain successful employment with Northwell Health. Veterans bring an unmatched array of strengths and experiences to the workforce including leadership training, integrity, teamwork, working among diversified groups in high pressure environments which gives them a high level of sensitivity to diversity and inclusion beneficial to productive corporate work environments. Our Barracks to Business Workshop leverages and translates the skills Military members have to civilian resumes that our hiring managers can simply understand. It’s always exciting to learn that we’ve hired another Veteran. That’s the mission.”

Every current service member, transitioning service member, or veteran should know that Lyndon is here for you: your needs will be met, your questions will be answered and you will never be alone in this process. He is passionate and dedicated to assisting Veterans in their transition from Military service to a promising Northwell Health career.

Sign up to join our Veteran Talent Community.

Written by: Sherley John

I knew I wanted to join Northwell Health because the entire system strives to improve our communities through education, conduction of research and providing quality healthcare. I chose North Shore University Hospital primarily because it is a teaching hospital and offered the William Randolph Hearst Critical Care Fellowship. I already knew I wanted to be a critical care nurse when I graduated and this unique fellowship that was offered was just the beginning of my journey. When I began my fellowship 10 years ago, it was broken down into three phases which included patient simulation experiences, didactic learning sessions and direct patient care assignments. The various phases provided the required tools and prepared me to be an effective Neurosurgical ICU nurse. Now, I  have the privilege of being a preceptor for the new fellows and thoroughly enjoy the experience.

After my fellowship ended, I received an RN position within the same department, Nerosurgical ICU (NSCU), and each day brings a new experience. Being at the bedside and advocating for my patients at a crucial time during their recovery is what drives me. The NSCU team is exceptional and I consider them my family. Over the years I have served in various capacities such as the co-chair for the Collaborative Care Council, Beacon committee member, peer interview panel member, and participate in various performance improvement projects such as Quiet time and serve as the CAUTI champion.  I am currently enrolled in the first Manhasset cohort for a Masters in Leadership program, which is a great opportunity provided by the health system.

I knew I wanted to continue to do great things for this health system and when a Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) problem arose in 2011 I was able to make a real difference in decreasing the percentage of patients that acquired an infection. The team that I was on developed an evidence-based CAUTI bundle that consisted of insertion and maintenance of indwelling urinary catheters (IUC), early catheter removal with development of a straight catheterization protocol and focused collaboration between nurses and physicians to review catheter necessity during patient rounds. Initially focus was on urine backflow prevention, creating criteria for when to obtain urine cultures and developing a protocol for straight catheterization based on bladder ultrasound results. Once we had our goals and a plan in place we began implementation from the years 2012 to 2014. In 2012 a 19% reduction in CAUTI was achieved. In September 2013, four NSCU nurses including myself were accepted into the AACN CSI Academy with CAUTI reduction as our leadership project and in 2014, the four CAUTI Champions hosted a week of CAUTI prevention. We created and distributed unit based t-shirts with the acronym NSCU (Nurses Stopping Catheter Usage), performed peer skills validation on perineal and IUC care and further revised the protocols for straight catheterization and bladder scanning. In 2014, CAUTIs were reduced by 24%, the number of device days were reduced by 31% and this outcome resulted in a, $112.000 saving. Various practices initiated on our unit were then presented at the hospital wide CAUTI carnival. This brought about a change in the culture of our unit and we have presented the results at various hospital sessions and conferences nationwide.  We continue to focus on sustainability and have noticed a significant decrease in all other Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI).

Working for this health system has provided me with all of the opportunities I could hope for in a nursing career – from fellowship training to becoming a mentor, complex cases, educational aid, and leadership opportunities – I wouldn’t want to have established my career anywhere else. All this was possible because of the commitment and dedication of the NSCU team. I would like to thank my manger, Laura Iacono, for her encouragement and guidance as well as, Tara Laumenede, our director. My gratitude to my AACN CSI mentors Marian Altman and Debbie Brinker who provided the necessary tools for the success of our project. A special thank you to my coach, Launette Woolforde, who was instrumental in the success of the CAUTI initiative and our CNO, Kerri Scanlon, who is an inspiration.

Picture: From left to right, Sherley is the second women on the left. 

Written by: Shawn Chacko

My Northwell Health story is really a culmination of a journey that started years ago. My family emigrated from a third world country where poverty and disease were pervasive. Traveling to my native land created this burden in me to help solve these issues. By 2007 I was riding the wave of believing in our own capabilities and I came to the realization that my efforts needed to be focused on a very specific mission. I then became determined to build hospitals and clinics in under privileged areas around the world.

In 2009 I decided to attend Stony Brook University where I enrolled as a pre-medical student. I believed my passion for medicine and my affinity for sciences would provide the means to fulfill my mission. During my sophomore year of college there was an opportunity to assist on a medical mission’s trip to Ethiopia. I traveled 6,994 miles away from all the comforts I had to help the people of this country in any way I could. The experience really exposed me to suffering once again, but something within me changed. The country and the people were beautiful, but the sheer neglect for life, health and opportunity were appalling. Images of children on their last hope were seared into my brain, and I knew I needed to take action.

After returning from the trip, I decided to study the science behind healthcare delivery. I was fascinated by the magnitude of complexity involved. I would spend all of my free time reading books on anyone remotely related to building healthcare systems from Otto Von Bismarck to Patch Adams. The irony of my fascination was that our country was dealing with healthcare reform at the time which only furthered my interest, and shifted my focus away from the clinical aspect of care. I decided then to leave the pre-med track and enter a healthcare management program.

After making this difficult decision I formed a club with like-minded individuals who had a passion for the underserved communities of the world called Free the Children. The purpose of our club was to build a school in Sierra Leone, West Africa. We found that education decreased disease prevalence within communities, and so for a country that had been torn by civil war for decades we focused our efforts in this particular area. After three years of giving lectures, motivational speeches, and fundraising we were able to give a significant portion to the school. The experience provided some relief for the burden I was carrying, but I still felt an overwhelming desire to do more.

During my final year of undergraduate studies I entered my concentration of healthcare management where I was exposed to the many different aspects of care delivery. Having a teaching hospital so connected to the university provided opportunities I would otherwise not have. I volunteered in one of the healthcare management departments at the hospital where I met key individuals who encouraged my dreams and gave me guidance on what I should do next.

Ultimately I was advised to apply to business schools in New York.  Hofstra’s Zarb School of Business, and during my first year in graduate school I went to an alumni event where I would meet Dganit Raviv (Dee), the Director of HR Analytics at Northwell Health. Dee and I really hit it off, and she provided great advice on how I would be able to penetrate the healthcare job market.

Six months later I began applying to internships for the summer and eventually found an opportunity for an operations internship with CVS Health. I spent my time working on a project to implement Medication Therapy Management within the region, and met many great people, but ultimately I really wanted a role within healthcare.

I mentioned to Barbara, my manager at the Zarb Career Center, that I was having trouble finding a suitable internship.  My manager then reached out to a friend at Northwell Health to see if there was any availability without my knowledge. A few days later I got a call from Dee, the woman I had met at the alumni event six months earlier. I came in for an interview and was offered a temporary full-time position as a strategy analyst. I was able to get my feet into health care while also completing my degree by joining Northwell Health’s internal temporary staffing agency, Flexstaff. A few weeks after I started Dee told me she would love to have me join her team permanently, and I have really enjoyed the experience. I’ve had so many opportunities to meet great people and attain valuable skills during my time here. I’ve worked on projects to increase revenue growth through people strategies concentrated on attaining and retaining talent through quality of hire initiatives, to implementing five year plans for merger and acquisition integration efforts. Perhaps my proudest accomplishment was creating a departmental Think Tank focused on capturing innovative ideas and driving the business forward. This started with three people and grew to over 40 dedicated individuals. I’ve been afforded many opportunities in my role, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to develop essential skills and tool kits for the future.

Northwell Health has provided me a great platform to learn new aspects of healthcare, and I hope to use these experiences to fulfill my dreams of building my own hospitals and clinics around the world.

Thank you to all of you who have played a role in shaping and guiding my future and special thanks to Northwell Health.

Written by: Julie Liu

Spanning a total of fifteen days, the Lunar New Year is a joyous time of renewal marked by gatherings with family and friends, elaborate feasts, parades, fireworks and gift giving. It marks the return of spring and reunion of family.

One thing that makes the Lunar calendar different than the Gregorian calendar is its use of representative animals, following a 12-year cycle, and 2017 ushered in the Year of the Rooster. Marking the end of the holiday, a magnificent red lantern festival will be on display as celebrants symbolize their letting go of the past and welcoming in of future good fortunes.

On February 4th, for the eighth consecutive year, contingents from Northwell Health marched in the Lunar New Year Parade in downtown Flushing, New York. The parade is the highlight of Lunar New Year celebrations in Flushing, including dragon dancers, kettle drummers and fireworks. The march draws a considerable amount of spectators each year.

Demonstrating its commitment to the Asian-American community, the senior leadership at Northwell Health participated in the customary tradition of receiving and gifting red envelopes to its Asian-American employee business resource group (BERG).  Our Chinese BERG leadership also had the opportunity to network with some of the most prominent, world-renowned Chinese medical scientists and researchers at the Northwell Health Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, during its annual Chinese New Year luncheon, hosted by the Chinese Association at the Feinstein Institute (CAFI). What a great honor to be surrounded by creative thinkers who share a singular focus of advancing science to prevent disease and cure patients (pictured above).

Overview of Lunar New Year Traditions

Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is China’s most important traditional festival. It is also a time for families to be together and celebrate a year of hard work and wish for a lucky and prosperous coming year.  Chinese people believe that a good start to the year will lead to a lucky year.

On New Year’s Eve, every street, building, and house is decorated with red.  Red is the main color for the festival, as it is believed to be a “lucky” color.  Red lanterns are also displayed in streets; red couplets are pasted on doors; banks and official buildings are decorated with pictures and writings representing prosperity.

The New Year’s Eve dinner is called “reunion dinner”, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year, where families sit around round tables and enjoy the food and time together. Certain foods are eaten during the New Year’s Eve dinner, because of their symbolic meanings, based on their names or appearances, such as:

• Fish – serving a whole fish symbolizes a year of abundance for the whole family. The Chinese word for fish is pronounced the same way as the word for abundance;
• Nian Gao or sticky rice cake –symbolizes prosperity in the New Year. The word of Nian Gao can be pronounced the same way as higher year;
• Oranges or Tangerines – because of their plump shape and golden color, oranges and tangerines are said to bring fortune and good luck. The Chinese word for orange sounds like success;
• Dumplings – made to look like ancient Chinese currency and legend has it, the more dumplings you eat during New Years, the more money you will make;
• Noodles – a staple food to Chinese culture, but when they are long noodles, it means longevity. The longer the noodle, the longer the life. Legend has it, the strand should be eaten whole and if you bite them half way thru, you might be cutting your life short

Just in the western culture, gifts are exchanged during the festival.  The most common gifts are red envelopes.  The envelopes have money in them and are given to children by the elder of the household.  According to a legend, there was monster that would come out during the New Year’s Eve and terrify children while they were asleep.  To keep children safe from being harmed, parents gave their children eight coins to play with the monster, in order to keep him tired.  The children would distract the monster by wrapping the coins in red, opening the packet, re-wrapping and re-opening the packet until the monster was too tired to fall asleep.  From then on, giving red envelopes to children became a way to keep them safe and bring good luck.

恭禧发财
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Gong Hey Fat Choy

Written by: Iris Berman

From the time I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I can remember even as a 6 year old bringing my friends in to our home to tend to their battle wounds from climbing trees, falling off bicycles or roller-skates and the like. My mother kept a constant supply of antiseptic cream and brightly colored Band-Aids for my use. That was the beginning. At nine years old my father had suffered a heart attack. I had learned some basic first aid in the girl scout troop and recognized his symptoms . I’d visit him (children weren’t allowed in the Coronary care unit in those days) and observe through glass partitions all that the nurses were doing.  I was sure then, that was what I wanted to do.

My very first job that would open the gate to involvement in the now Northwell Health system began over 30 years ago in Glen Cove Hospital even before it was ever part of the health system.  Starting as a per diem nurse gave me the opportunity to work in a variety of environments, but it was Critical Care that called to me, and it has served me well.

I had already moved into a position in the coronary care unit when Glen Cove became one of the first acquisitions to (at that time) NSUH. Maybe it was my family history, but I became very interested in at risk populations and volunteered to work on joint programs with the hospital and the American Heart Association.  The health system supported my interest and the program continued to grow. We began to develop a support program for patients with a variety of cardiac diseases. – all the while I continued to explore other options in my employment moving to the broader field of critical care.  I knew I wanted to go back to school (I already had my BSN). Because of the great tuition reimbursement program, I was able to return to school to obtain my MSN in Nursing Administration. Opportunity knocks in our health system; you just have to answer the door!

While attending school I became the critical care educator for Glen Cove.  The wonderful thing is that  while hired for a specific site, this roll enabled me to work not only on site but to collaborate on system wide task forces for things like stroke, CV disease and  other best practice programs. There were always opportunities to grow, and the leadership teams greatly encouraged, welcomed, and supported me.  I wrote and successfully was awarded a grant to expand stroke education. Being an educator allowed me to use my years of nursing knowledge to help others both on the patient front and in nursing and beyond.

A few years after becoming an educator an opportunity for a management position became available and again I received the full support from the leadership team.  I never would have imagined, even then, that I’d be where I am today. Because I have always been active in my professional organization of AACN (American Association of Critical Care Nurses) I had been increasingly aware of something called tele-ICUs (eICU®), part of an emerging field called telemedicine . When I saw that there was a director’s position for this program in our own health system, I jumped at the opportunity to apply. Low and behold I got the job. It seems that although I was based in a community hospital the work I had done over the years was recognized.   I can’t think of many other organizations as large as ours, where there is such accessibility and visibility to senior leadership.

I could go on but suffice to say that I have moved from Director of the eICU program to AVP for Telehealth and now VP for Telehealth services.   This highlights the opportunities and ability of our health system to be progressive, agile, and welcoming all at once.  I am one of the fortunate who truly loves going to work every day.  I am so proud to be part of this wonderful organization now known as Northwell. John Quincy Adams once said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, earn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. Because our Northwell Leaders are visionaries I have been allowed to dream, be and do more!

 Explore our teleheath career opportunities.

Picture: Iris (First woman on the left) with employees on her eICU team. 

Written by: Todd Goldstein 

You might be thinking, what in the world is bioprinting and why would a team spend years developing it? Well, 3D bioprinting is the use of 3D printing technology with materials that incorporate viable living cells. The end product produced is tissue for reconstructive surgery. This type of technology can transform the way medicine is practiced. Just think about a world where organ donors are no longer needed – if you need a transplant of some sort, it can be printed on demand from your own cells while you wait. But before I get ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning… 

My journey within Northwell Health started off 30 years ago when I was born at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. After a brief 20+ year hiatus, I returned in a very stereotypical way – I was a student who needed a side job with lots of shifts and flexible hours. After some investigation I applied to work per diem as a patient transporter at North Shore University Hospital, where I worked at night while I was completing my master’s degree. It was a perfect fit for me; I was able to converse with patients as I wheeled them around the hospital for their various tests and discharges.

As I was completing my degree, I applied and was accepted to the PhD program at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. I wasn’t sure what I specifically wanted to work on, but I knew I had a knack for technology and a new found appreciation for Orthopedics & Radiology.  I worked 4 years at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research completing my degree in the Laboratory of Orthopedics Research under Dr. Daniel Grande PhD. We spent countless hours working on 3D bioprinting of cartilage, bone, and tracheal tissue. The environment I “stumbled into” was one of collaboration, innovation, and patience. It was challenging, but very rewarding. The lab provided an environment filled with students, residents, fellows, physicians, and research scientists all working to further medical knowledge and create new treatments for patients in need. Anyone in the lab was able to “grab the bull by the horns” so to speak, and take on a project they deemed interesting. You took ownership and were able to see it through to the end.

One day, in walked two chief surgeons with the idea of tissue engineering lab grown tracheas. Dr. Lee Smith MD and Dr. David Zeltsman MD were interested in our capabilities within the lab and if we were willing to work with them on a non-orthopedic project. Dr. Grande said “Todd if you want to spear head this project, go right ahead, just let me know what you need.” Over the next two years we worked to build up a protocol to 3D bioprint tracheal replacements in the lab. It was our hope of one day transplanting a replacement into a patient – to restore their breathing would become a reality.

Once I had the support I needed, we began right away. While we are not at a point to transplant lab grown organs, we are well on our way. To kick off this type of project we started to build our own 3D printer that could create our tissue since the commercially available printer options were extremely expensive. We took a desktop 3D printer, stripped it down to its guts, then using design software created new printer heads that could accept living cells within a jello like material. Many early mornings and late nights watching the 3D printer whirl around in circles placing layer after layer of cells, gel, biocompatible, and biodegradable scaffold materials were necessary to get this idea to become reality. After much trial and error we were able to print a living “breathing” lab-grown trachea.

In the beginning of 2016 the 3D bioprinter was submitted into Northwell Health’s Breakthrough contest where the winner received additional funds to further their research and make their scientific dream a reality. All of the 61,000 employees in our organization were able to vote on the breakthrough that they found the most significant in effecting patients care, and the printer happened to be the winner. Without Northwell’s support this project would still be just an idea. I have been able to take away important skills throughout this journey – whether it be about patient customer service, or a complicated statistical analysis of scientific data, without the Northwell Health family like environment I would still be wandering the halls looking for my niche. I have now graduated from the medical school and Northwell has created a unique roll for me as I share my time between the Orthopedics Lab and the Northwell Ventures Team serving as a technical analyst, as the hospital rolls out new innovative business ventures furthering our patient care capabilities.  I now get to help shape the innovative future of healthcare, both in and out of the lab, as we take ideas from the bench top and translate them to the bedside.

Written by: Michele Grossman

One of the main focuses of Northwell Health is providing patients and their families with the best experience possible in situations they didn’t necessarily choose to be in. Most of us chose to work for a healthcare organization because of the intrinsic good with the services we provide, yet working in a corporate office you don’t necessarily get to see the impact your work has on patient experience.

Corporate HR’s office culture committee was created to plan fun events and activities for employees at the 1111 Marcus Ave offices. After raising employee engagement in our office we wanted to take our committee to the next level and help the community. Luckily, we discovered that Make-A-Wish was our neighbors in the building. They hosted a lunch-and-learn for our staff and we realized that their mission and our mission were aligned, and that our employees were interested in giving back to this organization. We decided to partner with them and have our employees work together to raise money to sponsor wishes for children with life threatening illnesses. Make-A-Wish committed that the children we would sponsor would be children who are being treated at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center (CCMC) – this would allow us to take patient experience to the next level.

In May 2016 we kicked off the Make-A-Wish pilot with all of the Northwell Health corporate business areas. This would give us a chance to see if the program would be successful and give the corporate employees a chance to touch upon a level of patient experience they weren’t able to previously. When starting this program, our goal was to raise $10,000 (enough to sponsor one child’s wish) by the annual Walk for Wishes in September. Throughout the summer the corporate offices hosted a variety of fundraising events including the “Wall of Stars”, raffling off reserved parking spaces, wearing blue for Make-A-Wish, jeans days, raffling an Apple Watch, employee car washes, etc. All of these events led us to raise over $22,000, doubling our goal and allowing us to sponsor wishes for two children!

The two children we were picked to sponsor both were diagnosed with Leukemia and were being treated at CCMC. Seraphina, age 10, wished to travel to Paris and go to Disneyland while she was there. Alexander, age 18, wished to go on a tropical vacation so he was scheduled to travel to Hawaii. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the culture committee threw Seraphina and Alexander a send-off party before going on their trips and invited all of the corporate office liaisons to attend as a thank you for all of their hard work and fundraising efforts. It was a great day filled with beautiful decorations and all of Seraphina and Alexander’s favorite foods and desserts. Both families were so touched by what we did for them and it was so nice to be able to lift the spirits of these children. Since this pilot was so successful we were going to roll this program out to all of Northwell Health in 2017 so we can continue to raise the standard of care our patients receive, which goes far beyond the correct treatments, but helps them and their families mentally and emotionally. We look forward to helping more of our patients at CCMC throughout 2017 with the help of Make-A-Wish foundation. 

Well actually, 350 nursing students from 21 nursing colleges and universities received a “Golden Ticket” to the 2nd Annual Northwell Health Golden Ticket Nursing Showcase. Previously known as the Student Nursing Dinner, Northwell Health has been connecting thousands of students to our nursing staff and leadership for 9 years – and this year was no different. Kerri Anne Scanlon, Deputy Chief Nurse Executive, Northwell Health & Chief Nursing Officer, North Shore University Hospital said, “Each year we bring together the top 10% of nursing students from the best colleges and universities because we want to hire and train the top talent of tomorrow to help drive our mission forward.”  Scanlon goes on to say that, “We don’t have to do the Showcase to recruit new graduates or nursing students. We do this event to expose the students to the Northwell Health culture, our exemplary nursing programs and have one-on-one time to learn and hear from our service line staff and leadership.”

Students were eager to start the day and by the time we opened our doors at the Crest Hollow Country Club at 7:30am, they were lined up to check-in. Receiving a goodie bag and raffle ticket, students were on their way to start their session. With two sessions – one for juniors and one for seniors nursing students – students were exposed to many facets of Northwell Health’s Externship, Fellowship and new graduate opportunities. Presentations from senior leadership including Northwell Health’s Chief People Officer, Deputy Chief Nurse Executive & Chief Nursing Officer, VP of System Nursing Education, and Senior Vice President & CNO, Maureen White spoke about their experiences, our nursing programs and how anyone at Northwell Health can achieve a career dream with the resources and educational opportunities available to employees. In the junior session 6 previous externs, and in the senior session 10 nurses, spoke about their experience and had Q&A with the audience.  

 Ellen Lorenz, Nursing Fellowships and Recruiting Program Manager said, “The Golden Ticket Showcase is such an amazing event. Students have the unique opportunity to not only hear about our programs but to meet our Nursing Leaders, Educators and Registered Nurses. I am so proud of our team and am delighted to have been part of this special day.”

The sessions concluded with hundreds of Northwell Health employees participating in a Nursing Expo from 6 hospitals including North Shore University Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Zucker Hillside Hospital, Staten Island University Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, Southside Hospital, and Cohen Children’s Medical Center. We also had 12 different service lines ranging from ED, Perioperative Services, Behavioral Health, to Oncology and Med/Surg, where team members spoke about their facilities and units. Our recruitment team was on-hand to talk about job opportunities as well and give pointers on resume writing. One of the attendees said, “As a current student, it was incredibly exciting to hear about the nursing opportunities [at Northwell Health] and the impact that the system and its professionals have had on the greater community. The event was not only an informative opportunity to learn more about Northwell, but it was also an incredibly well-thought out welcome to those who are most excited to enter the profession.”

The day was filled with endless information, Northwell swag, and way too much food. Our attendees were also able to take a break at our photo booth where they posed with their friends and our employees to create lasting memories.

After 8 hours of fun, the students embarked on their journey’s home, our employees organized the resume’s they received, and we celebrated another successful Golden Ticket Showcase. We are excited that we are able to partner with such great universities and colleges who grow and develop the next generation of nurses – they will be the hands that make a difference, the minds that challenge us, and the hearts that will never stop caring for those in need.

Written by: Briana O’ Shaughnessy 

Before beginning my journey at Northwell Health, I received a B.S. in Community Health with a Minor in Sociology at SUNY Cortland. After walking at graduation in May, 2016 I began my internship with Northwell Health which was the culminating piece of my degree. The internship I held was very unique and an experience I will be forever grateful for. It was designed as a rotational program and the idea was to expose me to a variety of departments in corporate HR to help me decide where I wanted to focus. Over the course of 12 weeks I had the privilege of working with seven different teams and countless wonderful employees. Not only was the experience eye opening in regards to the career path I wanted to follow, but it was also a wonderful networking opportunity and allowed me to begin fostering productive working relationships. Perhaps the most helpful piece of information I took away was that almost every employee I talked to had one thing in common- their careers have taken many unexpected turns and that few are doing what they originally set out to do after graduating undergrad. These accomplished employees took advantage of  the unique and exciting opportunities provided by Northwell, and were not afraid to go outside of their comfort zone to find what they are passionate about. After hearing this, my fears of being a new grad who doesn’t know “what they want to do” started to disappear. I realized that I had my entire life ahead of me and that I could never possibly predict what opportunities would arise – all I knew for sure was that Northwell Health was the place that would provide me with them. 

One week before the completion of my internship on August 9th, I was offered a position through FlexStaff, Northwell Health’s internal temporary staffing agency. I was thrilled. Although this was not a permanent position, it was a foot in the door at the company I wanted to build a career with. I was hired as an Administrative Support Associate with the Workforce Readiness team. This team creates a pipeline for Talent and prepares our future workforce for healthcare careers. This is done through countless events and programs designed to introduce certain populations, such as students and veterans, to the countless career opportunities in healthcare that Northwell Health has to offer. After one day of spending time with this team during my internship I knew it was a perfect fit. The people could not have been more welcoming and I knew I wanted to be a part of the incredible work done here. Fortunately, three months after accepting the FlexStaff position, I was offered a full-time position as a Coordinator. I was so happy I would get to officially be a part of this team, and most of all I was so excited that I could continue the work I felt so strongly about and watch different programs and projects grow and develop.

I was quickly drawn to the work done with high school students. I have always had a passion for educating our country’s youth and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The Spark! Challenge and Medical Marvels are two programs in particular that aim to introduce students to careers in healthcare that they otherwise may not learn about in school. These programs force the students to think critically and explore the many facets of healthcare. Another ongoing project I am involved with is college recruiting. This is an area I never thought I would be a part of, but am very happy that I am. My main goal here is to partner with universities to introduce them to open careers at Northwell Health.  I work with professors and career centers to link eligible students and alumni with our health system and explore opportunities that can benefit both them and us. This may be done by simply sending out a job description or setting up different events on campus or at one of our sites. Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is that our team is diverse in the populations we serve giving me a chance to learn something new every day on a variety of people. One day I could be working with college students, while another I could be assisting our Veteran Specialist with the veteran population, another day calling candidates to set up interviews for our elite nurse fellowships.

As a new grad I was extremely nervous to begin my journey outside of the classroom, however, to my pleasant surprise it has been wonderful. Northwell Health has welcomed me with open arms and in my seven months here has presented me with two outstanding opportunities. I am excited to see what else my journey has in store.

Picture: Briana is in the front left of the picture with the Center for Workforce Readiness Team that focuses on the communication with students in high school and college as well as nursing externships, fellowships and Veteran relations.  

Ah, the fresh start to the New Year filled with hope and new beginnings. We all wake up the day after the ball drops and there is a new sense of determination and promise for the future. Here are our top 3 tips to keep your spirits high and your ambitions in sight so you can make the best of 2017, even if those post-New Year’s Eve feelings begin to fade away over time.

1.       Get organized – Ok, we know this is on everyone’s to do list, but how many of you can actually cross it off? Take the time to prioritize the most important things in your life, professionally and personally, and then create realistic goals on how you want to accomplish them. If you don’t break down a goal into steps it may seem overwhelming and you may “save it for tomorrow” until the year runs out and it’s still on your to do list. Taking a few minutes every day to create a list of things you want to accomplish for the day will keep you in order, less stressed, and you may even find more time in the day to do something you enjoy!

2.       Be mindful – Did you know that sitting for 5 minutes a day to reflect can help you physically, mentally and emotionally? Sometimes life takes us by storm and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the day to day antics – but as you are crossing off things on your to do list, don’t forget to take care of yourself. The only way you will be able to perform the best at your job, while also enjoying each day, is if you address your needs. Don’t forget to get the support you need in order to be successful!

3.       Celebrate your wins – Big or small, if you accomplish something – celebrate it! Sometimes we get in such a routine that we don’t acknowledge some of our accomplishments. Whether it’s coming up with a new workout routine and sticking to it, or nailing a big presentation in front of the executives at your job, give yourself a pat on the back. Sometimes we have to be our own biggest supporters to stay motivated, and that’s ok.

Throughout this year remember to be realistic and honest with yourself so you can tackle every goal you set your mind to. Never forget that you determine how your life unfolds and at any moment you can change the path you are on if you are determined to do so. Let’s make 2017 the best year yet!