Two leaders from Greene County Medical Center are drawing on a statewide development initiative to enhance their leadership styles, benefit their teams and ultimately improve patient care. Clinical supervisor turned Director of Nursing, Abby Skoglund, RN, and patient access supervisor Shaunna Hadley recently graduated from the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) Leadership Development Program.
Skoglund’s Greene County Medical Center career began 16 years ago in long term care, and she later switched to acute care. “I worked about a year on the med/surg floor and then in ER, the special care unit and in OB,” she explained. “About a year later, I was asked to be a shift leader. I felt like this would not only increase my leadership skills but also help my work/life balance.” After taking several other leadership courses, the Director of Nursing position opened, and though a little faster than she had anticipated, Skoglund stepped into the new role.
Hadley’s nearly six-year journey at the medical center also reflects a focus on growth and learning. She began working at the front desk and was soon promoted to lead the registration team. This enabled her to learn more about insurance, the revenue cycle and registration processes. “When I first started, we were sort of a little island and when we transitioned, I was able to learn so much more, which really helped with all of our processes,” she said. “We have been able to use this to become more efficient and to cross-train for daily tasks.” In her current role, Hadley is proud to see a professional and proficient team structure.
Both Skoglund and Hadley were approached by the executive team at Greene County Medical Center about the IHA program opportunity. The pair traveled to Des Moines for the courses over a period of six months, hearing from a broad spectrum of experts. “One of the last sessions was really eye-opening,” Hadley said. “Using performance-based data in my leadership role allows me to pull reports and highlight strengths along with areas that need improvement.” She has already implemented what she learned and said it helps her not only track progress but develop personalized positive feedback and recommendations.
For Skoglund, a key takeaway was on effective communication, the top priority she wants to instill in her team. “When communication goes awry, we then have miscommunication and we can have big emotions,” she said. “Just encouraging people to have open, honest, transparent conversations with each other helps us all work together toward the greater goal.” And like Hadley, she believes in personal recognition, so people know they are valuable and valued.
The impact of this program, however, will not end with Skoglund and Hadley. Both are committed to ensuring others they work with get similar opportunities for growth. “I want to make sure we stand by our vision and values and provide the best patient care,” Skoglund said. “If I can lead my team and show them that I care about them, then they will do the same thing with our patients at their bedside.”
Initiated in 2000, the IHA Leadership program’s goal is the development of critical leadership skills, competencies and retention of quality personnel. Other Greene County Medical Center program graduates are: Bret Stuart, IT director; Heather Booth, imaging director; Jamie McDonald, prior authorization supervisor; and Jo Hart, former lab director.
