343 - Our New Chief Nursing Officer: Kristin McVay, MSN, MHA, RN

St. Luke's new Chief Nursing Officer, Kristin McVay, MSN, MHA, RN, joins Dr. Arnold to share about her background, leadership experience, and her perspective on the incredible work our nurses do each day.

To learn more about nursing careers, services, and opportunities at UnityPoint Health, visit unitypoint.org.

If you have a topic you'd like Dr. Arnold to discuss with a guest on the podcast, shoot us an email at stlukescr@unitypoint.org.

Transcript

Dr. Arnold 0:07

This is LiveWell Talk On... our new Chief Nursing Officer, Kristin McVay. I'm Dr. Dustin Arnold, Chief Medical Officer at UnityPoint Health, St. Luke's Hospital. Today we're getting to know Kristin, learning about her background, leadership, experience, and hearing her perspective on the incredible work our nurses do each day. Kristin, welcome to the podcast. First podcast.

Kristin McVay 0:26

Yes. Thank you.

Dr. Arnold 0:27

So your place, Carmen.

Kristin McVay 0:29

Yes.

Dr. Arnold 0:30

Long, you know, legendary. When did you start at St. Luke's? Kind of take us through your career path.

Kristin McVay 0:35

Sure. Um, I started in 2005. So I am in my 21st year here with St. Luke's and uh now UnityPoint. Um, so fun fact, I was born here. Um, really, if you want to take it all the way back and get technical here, um, but uh um I have a a connection um, you know, here that's that's pretty deep and embedded. Um, and I actually started here also as a student. Um, so and another fun fact, my my preceptor is still here. So shout out to Bob Barb Morris. Um uh on the ortho unit. Uh so really uh want to give her a special shout out here and uh got my start in in orthopedics. Um and then uh just kind of worked through um first 10 years progressive leadership roles, um moved over to the clinic space, um, have worked in a um I forgot I forgot about that.

Dr. Arnold 1:34

Yeah, you went out the clinics for a little bit.

Kristin McVay 1:36

Yeah. Uh I was the primary primary care uh director of ops uh role there. So kind of a different uh trajectory there. Interesting. Um and then uh been with the system, also integrated care management, um, executive director with the system. Uh appreciated working with our affiliate partners and getting to know um the the groups there. And um, that was a really fun experience working with the continuum teams with uh ambulatory and inpatient care management. Uh and then came back to the hospital. Um, and uh in in most recent uh past prior to coming into the CNL role, uh was with uh the surgical services team as a director.

Dr. Arnold 2:19

How long were four years maybe with the surgery?

Kristin McVay 2:23

Uh surgery. I was uh with the surgical services team uh in the recent role uh for about a year coming in.

Dr. Arnold 2:30

It'll seem a lot longer.

Kristin McVay 2:31

Yeah, and uh just in prior roles, I've I've been with them uh in in various settings prior to that. So I was peri-anesthesia manager uh in previous time for about four years, um, several years back.

Dr. Arnold 2:42

Well, I I've known you since 05 when I started the hospitals program. Or this podcast refers to as the golden era of hospital medicine. So either way, the people listeners will know what you're talking about what I'm talking about. Um what what have you learned that prepared you to transition to the CNL?

Kristin McVay 3:05

Um you know, there's there's definitely things throughout the career. Um I can certainly thank so many people. You know, you you called out Carmen. Um we we've all learned so many things uh from Carmen and what she brought into the role and into the culture in the organization, uh, but certainly, you know, celebrate so many other things and team members in our organization. Um, but going throughout the career, um, I would note uh I would appreciate that the career journey was not linear. Um and I think that that helped in in my journey um to the CNO role. I've appreciated having a chance to work uh in the hospital setting, um, working with our partners across the continuum in an ambulatory setting, um, working with our partners uh also in Jones Regional, uh, also out in the um in the system and affiliate markets, uh, and has helped to inform uh my career as I've moved along. Um and then just the various projects and partnerships with our teams along the way, um, our our provider partners and colleagues um and the various different um teams and um ancillary teams that we've we've had the pleasure of working with in the different projects um that we've lifted through those those various different roles. So so many different things um I would call out there um that just uh definitely would would make that that note is is planning and um the the learning journey along the way.

Dr. Arnold 4:35

You know, sometimes people like, well, what's the secret at St. Luke's? And and there's not just one thing. You know, I think there's my assessment is at St. Luke's Hospital, it is uh patient care is nurse-driven, physician guided. Um and I I think the doctors that just naturally kind of fall into that do succeed the most, you know, and have the most rewarding careers. I don't think it's planned. I don't think we set out to do it that way. I think it's just how healthcare operates, right? We're out in the clinic, it's physician-driven, nurse-guided, you know. Um and so I think the CNO is an important job. Not it's that it's less important than other institutions, but I think here at St. Luke's it is a very important role in the day-to-day functioning of the hospital, the medical staff and and our 4,000 employees. Um, and I I think that's a tribute uh to multiple people. Certainly Carmen's had a gray roll, not a floria. Uh what, what, what did what did you learn from Carmen?

Kristin McVay 5:41

Oh, there's there's so many things hard to hard to pull out, um, just the the the hundred different things, uh, all in one thing here, but to to put it into a couple of buckets, um, it was it was absolutely um bringing forward that that Magnet culture, um, that that nurse-driven um as as we're we're highlighting here together, um, culture that that that Carmen really helped to lead uh and bring forward, um, and ensuring that we we kept that pathway um going, being a four times designated Magnet organization is so meaningful, ensuring that we have that that shared governance um atmosphere, uh, that that nursing has a voice. Our clinical teams uh continue to have a voice in how we move work forward.

Dr. Arnold 6:29

I I think Magnet and like organizations allow you to develop non-personality dependent processes, right? So it can carry on to the next wave of new leaders that come in because they can step into that. There's a framework to to problem. So don't you agree?

Kristin McVay 6:48

Yeah, I would agree. Um, it really helps to um highlight the the teams that are doing the work to be able to lead the work so that it's the most meaningful um to to impact moving that forward. And it really helped it really helps to keep that that patient voice at the center um as well. And and I just think that that's the the highlight of a work so well of shared governance.

Dr. Arnold 7:10

So what what's your I'll tell you mine first, then I'll tell you, then I'll ask you this. My favorite anomaly or just I love how each department in the hospital, each floor has their own little personality, you know, and it just and it carries forward the in all in a good way. I'm not saying the but it's different, you know, the just the personality of each floor. That that I find that rewarding. Yeah. I I really do. What what's something that you like about working in the hospital?

Kristin McVay 7:41

It's the I've told others um what I what I've answered before in that question is it's just that hospital atmosphere, that hospital buzz. There's always something going on. Yeah, yeah. Um, and it's the energy about it. Um, but but what that is, is it's the energy that the team brings into that. Um, and and where you're working, there's always something going on. Um, everyone's always looking to improve, to make things better, um, to help bring that forward so that the the patients, uh, the that the community ultimately benefits.

Dr. Arnold 8:11

And I think the integration we have between nursing, physicians, ancillary services, PTOT, et cetera. Yeah, you know, I think that's one of the keys to our success. Definitely. It's very de-siloed compared to other affiliates in other hospitals. Uh yeah.

Kristin McVay 8:31

And back to to your question about um, you know, Carmen's leadership and and what she modeled for us and um, you know, and Marianne before her and really bringing out that shared governance culture culture. It's um it was bringing all of the disciplines together in that shared governance model. Um, I really believe in the importance of that too. It's it's nursing uh led in in the model, but we want to make sure that we we have that multidisciplinary approach so that we can have the the voices in total because it's it's all of the the teams working together to move the work forward.

Dr. Arnold 9:07

We try to get everyone at the table to to make the right decision with what I call a kind of secondary stakeholder survey. You know, who else needs to know about this? So, what what do you do outside of work?

Kristin McVay 9:18

Um, well, I'm very blessed with a wonderful family. Um, they've been married for going on 20 years. Congratulations. Thank you to my husband Tad. He's fantastic. Um, we have two boys. Um, they're 12 and 14. Um, so really getting into those teenage years, lots of fun. Um, and then we have our our dog. We have a French Mastiff named Minnie. Um, so we'll play on the on the size there, of course.

Dr. Arnold 9:45

Guessing it's not Minnie.

Kristin McVay 9:46

Yeah. Um, think of uh the the children's book, Clifford the Big Red Dog. Um and you get kind of the the size and scale there and the color. Um so she's she's a ton of fun. Uh so we have a lot of fun with the the family, um, spend a lot of time there together, love just you know, going out to eat, get a get a bite of dinner. Um, and then uh the the boys' activities. Um, so they're into into music um and also uh into taekwondo. Um so that's been fun to to learn about that through them. And then um, you know, that's those are some of the activities we we keep entertained by, hanging out with uh the extended family and getting together with friends, um, those types of things. Um so just that's what we do to keep entertained.

Dr. Arnold 10:32

It the it goes fast. Yes, and you're in survival mode. And now with my daughters 25 and 22, um, it really where'd the time go? Yeah, you know, just one day they come downstairs, they're taller than you. Yeah. You're like, hot, what happened?

Kristin McVay 10:49

We're in the midst of that right now. I get reminded on the daily that they're just going right past me.

Dr. Arnold 10:54

That's uh yeah, it's uh um what is if you weren't a nurse, what would you be doing?

Kristin McVay 11:00

Ooh, probably a hairstylist.

Dr. Arnold 11:03

Hairstylist.

Kristin McVay 11:06

Not saying that I'm good at it, but I just think that that would be fun.

Dr. Arnold 11:09

My my answer is always professional wrestler. That's how I'm at even I was younger. And still part of me wants to do that. You know, we have the Magnetic uh designation. Uh we have top 100 nurses. I think we had 10.

Kristin McVay 11:26

We had 20. 20.

Dr. Arnold 11:28

Yeah. Yeah. Top 100 nurses, 20 of them work here. Yeah. Um, what what is it about the nursing here that makes it so special?

Kristin McVay 11:37

It really comes down to culture, um, which we've we've touched on here in some of our earlier questions. It's it's built out of um that that Magnet culture that does exist here again, that that being being clinically driven, nursing-driven organization, uh, allowing for that voice to lead the work uh really helps to to build upon that and and drive the profession forward and the work forward and keeping that patient at the center. Um, but additionally, I would point to um that that culture build is is also in part because of our mission um and how that's that's really led through the organization at the team level. Um, you know, there's there's many places that that you can go to and and you you'd find a mission and they might have the the words on a wall. But we are routinely told here, I I literally heard this yesterday from a patient. They said your mission is more than words on a wall. So to give the health care you want, yeah, to give the health care you want your loved ones to receive. And that that stops me in my tracks every time to hear that that is the the care that they're experiencing, to to be that reminder um that that is that is what they're experiencing, that's what's happening. And um we want to be able to share that, um, to to bring that forward and to remind people that what a wonderful job that they're doing in that space. Um a favorite story of recent in in addition to those stories was when uh a patient had an experience um that they were moved enough to write a song about their the putting that into words, yeah. Um and and writing that into a song. So um with with that said, um, I really believe that that is where the the culture uh is is born out of um and we're able to bring that forward um also through our our Magnet work and journey as well.

Dr. Arnold 13:38

Well, I would I would be remiss from having a a you know a podcast without asking a question. What what challenges do you see for nursing in the coming years? Certainly, yeah. I I remember Johnson Johnson had a study 1999, 2000, somewhere in there, where you know the average floral nurse was like 51 years old at that time. That's 1999, 2000, 25 years ago. Yeah. Um what so what what what challenges do you see?

Kristin McVay 14:10

Well, you're you're hitting the nail on the head right there, Dr. Arnold. Um certainly the the workforce challenges, um, I we're we are in the midst of those things. Um we we see that uh shift happening and making sure that we can continue to support our teams that are here on site um as we navigate the shift in the workforce, uh continuing to recruit in um as we see that that shift continue forward. Also, um the rapid pace of change in technology, I think is really important to um understand, embrace, uh, be able to support teams as we navigate all of that. We navigated in our daily worlds, figuring that out every time a phone changes or TVs change, and then we're also dealing with all of that in our work uh spaces and making sure that uh we're embracing that in a meaningful pace because that's a the pace of change, uh, and then making sure that we have meaningful adoption of that um to support teams with their workflows as well. Um, and then additionally, uh just the the change in in patient acuity um and some of the dangers that that we also face um in in the care of patients. So, you know, you see those those things in in news headlines and making sure that we have good safety uh in place uh for the care of team.

Dr. Arnold 15:31

Yeah, I think uh the uh acuity, the uh complexity of just your average patient uh has changed a lot. Um you know, we used to make the joke that two E's was attached uh had a hospital nearby, you know, because those people were on two E's were typically relatively healthy, right? That's not the case anymore. There's so much internal medicine on the non-medical floors now. Um that that's been a real change. Yeah. I I definitely see that um ability to have access to you know that space. I worry about that. Yeah. But we've done a good I mean, we've we've met r risen to the challenge, I think, you know, for the most part, um as far as getting the job done.

Kristin McVay 16:24

Yeah, in real time and yeah, working with it.

Dr. Arnold 16:27

I mean, I don't know about you. Some days I'm out of breath at the end of the day.

Kristin McVay 16:30

Yeah, but we can yeah, get a little sweaty through the process. Uh absolutely but uh making sure that we're you know meeting teams where they are uh and and helping to support and and and the pace of change in in the world that we live in.

Dr. Arnold 16:45

Well, if you could give advice to a new nurse starting at the day, what would you tell them?

Kristin McVay 16:50

Oh, that's I love reflecting on these questions. Um the advice I would give to our our new team members would be to stay curious, be ready, and say yes to the new things. Um, it can be it can be a lot to get started in healthcare. Um, but there are so many exciting things to go get involved in and to check out. Um, and there can be times where you might feel like, I don't know if this is for me, or maybe I'm not totally ready. I know I've experienced those feelings when I was newer in in roles. And people might encourage you to go check something out and just believe in yourself because we all believe in you.

Dr. Arnold 17:38

Yeah.

Kristin McVay 17:38

And and we're here for that. So seek out a mentor. We want to be a part of that journey with you. Um, so be ready, be curious, and say yes.

Dr. Arnold 17:47

I always tell the young doctors the days that suck are the days they needed you. Yeah. And then enjoy it, you know, because it's important. Kristin, thank you so much for joining me today. It's been wonderful getting to know you or allowing our listeners to get to know you because I've known you a long time. And hearing your spirit perspective on nursing and leadership. Once again, this is Kristin McVay, our new chief nursing officer at UnityPoint Health, St. Luke's Hospital. To learn more about nursing careers, services, and opportunities at UnityPoint Health, visit unitypoint.org. Thank you for listening to Live Well Talk On. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe. And if you want to spread the word, please give us a five-star review and tell your family, friends, neighbors, strangers about our podcast. We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or wherever you get your podcast. Until next time, be well.