Clinical Leadership Means Something More at North Shore Health
Being a “clinical-led” company can mean a lot of things, but here at North Shore Health, it means having over 450 years of long-term care experience within our leadership. With the unique structure North Shore Health has pioneered, many of our decisions we make as a company are being led by our VPS (Vice President of Success) team. On that team of 16, there are over 400 years of Licensed Nursing experience to call upon. We recently had the opportunity to have the VPS clinicians gather for a two-day training session and spoke to some of them about how their experience and growth has shaped how effectively they are able to care for our residents.
Courtney Hoffman, a Senior VPS, started her career with North Shore as a Director of Nursing. After leading her team to 5-star ratings and deficiency-free surveys, she moved to a Regional Director position, then joined the VPS team. She has spent her entire career working in senior care, and she got her start as a floor nurse. Through her growth in her own career, Courtney has gotten the chance to work at every level of care in skilled nursing, and those years of experience help her make decisions now. “I feel like looking back at journey and being in the shoes of those that are directly providing care to our residents, I feel like I’m able to help provide real-life guidance on their day-to-day work, providing really individualized, compassionate care to our residents.”
Bambi Sikora, another member of the VPS team, started her career as a CNA at Cornell Health Services, and has gotten to see not only her career grow, but North Shore grow along with it. Bambi has worn basically every clinical hat there is to wear in senior care: CNA, LPN, RN, ADON, DON, and now, VPS. When asked about the ability and support to grow within North Shore, she said, “North Shore shows a lot of support. There’s always someone you can ask if you don’t know the answer, or if you just want to discuss feedback. There’s always someone to rely on.” By intentionally building a high-level team of clinicians, North Shore has created a network of deeply experienced leaders who can rely on not only their own history, but on the expertise and experience of their fellow VPS team members.
One of the many benefits of having a team of clinical-first decision makers is that all of the decisions they make are directly informed by the decisions they had to make when they were beginning their careers and providing more immediate care. Missy Knapp, a VPS who has been with North Shore for just over a year and a half, often falls back on her 21 years of RN experience. “I think it’s helped me to always remember the “why” helps people understand. I always try to bring that into my roles; the “why” helps with the process.” These are not abstract conversations that the VPS team is having; they intimately understand what it’s like to be at the bedside, and to be there and be present with residents.
It would be easy to continue to support centers with the traditional hierarchy. However, North Shore is choosing a different path. By putting clinicians in decision-making roles, we ground leadership in real, hands-on experience. When we get the clinical care right and deliver great service to residents and families, the operational outcomes follow. High-quality care is not a byproduct of our work; it is the foundation.
