ACNL in Action: Lessons in Nursing Leadership

Nurse turnover is one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare leadership, and one of the clearest signals an organization sends about its culture. So how do you build a culture nurses don't want to leave? In this episode, Charlene talks with Cheryl Reinking, Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health, which recently earned its fifth Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, placing it among fewer than 2% of hospitals nationwide. Cheryl has spent nearly four decades at El Camino, and she walks through what 20 years of sustained Magnet excellence actually looks like at the manager and frontline level, including how the organization brought its post-COVID turnover rate from a peak of 12.7% back below 5%. We also get into the business case: how Cheryl uses her hospital foundation to fund retention pilots, what she puts in an ROI plan, and what kinds of recognition actually move the needle versus the kinds that don't. What's covered: (00:58) What it takes to sustain Magnet designation over 20 years (02:59) What Magnet looks like in practice at the manager and frontline level (07:30) A nurse manager's typical Tuesday morning at El Camino (09:25) Software platforms and the role of a dedicated nurse retention specialist (14:00) How El Camino brought turnover back below 5% after the pandemic (17:15) Building the business case for retention investments (21:18) Recognition that moves the needle vs. recognition that doesn't (23:30) What Cheryl wishes she'd known earlier about retention Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Cheryl Reinking, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM — Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylreinking/ About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Artificial intelligence is already changing nursing workflows, but many healthcare systems are making decisions without nursing leadership at the table. In this episode, Charlene talks with Nerissa Ambers and Carlene Lugtu, Director and Manager, respectively, of the Health Informatics Transformation Team at Stanford Medicine. They talk about why nursing leadership matters in the AI space and how nurses can help shape technology that supports patient care. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guests: Nerissa Ambers (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerissa-ambers-0510486/) Carlene Lugtu MCiM, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlene-lugtu/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Drs. Surani Hayre-Kwan and Alice Martanegara, members of ACNL's Health Policy Committee. They've been following all the most important healthcare legislation this year, both at the state level in California as well as nationally, and to give an update on what's been happening and what to keep an eye on in 2026. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guests: Surani Hayre-Kwan, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, FAANP, FACHE (https://www.suranihayrekwan.com/) Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-martanegara-3b586216/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA, Chief Nursing Officer for Sutter Health. Kat is responsible for executive nursing leadership and workforce development for over 16,000 nurses throughout Sutter's dozens of hospitals and clinics, making her the perfect person to talk to about workforce development and the leadership pipeline. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guest: Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-ascencio-holmes-rn-cnor-bsn-mha-62a679139/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Dr. Shiloh Williams, Assistant Professor at San Diego State University School of Nursing and National Rural Health Association Fellow. Dr. Williams shares her journey from bedside nursing to health policy advocacy, sparked by her frustration with repeatedly putting "band-aids" on systemic healthcare problems in her rural community. She discusses how she overcame the intimidation of health policy by joining ACNL's Health Policy Committee and attending policy meetings in Washington, D.C. Charlene and Dr. Williams explore why nurses' voices and patient stories are crucial in policy decisions, how different nursing roles prepare professionals for advocacy work, and practical ways nurses can get involved in health policy at local, state, and national levels. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠) Guest: Shiloh Williams, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CNE (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shiloh-williams-4b903b7b/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Tim Darling, Co-Founder of Laudio and President of Laudio Insights. Laudio is a staff relationship management platform that has been instrumental for thousands of nurse leaders in tracking and automating routine management tasks. With so much data on how leaders relate to their staff, Laudio has been able to glean some insights they’ve published into a book, Leader Inspired Work. Tim’s here to talk about what they’ve learned share some quick wins for nurse leaders. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Tim Darling (https://laudio.com/laudio-insights-leader-inspired-work) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN, and Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN, about the host of new healthcare legislation taking effect this year. They discuss AB 977, AB2975, SB963, SB1385, AB1316, and AB 2319. It's a packed episode with lots of important information for healthcare workers, so lock in. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-allen-30795429/) Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-martanegara-3b586216/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Marla Poston, Director of Patient Care Services at Sharp Healthcare. AB977 and AB2975 are two recently signed bills that address the problem of workplace violence in hospitals. The ACNL Health Policy Committee has been following these bills closely, and Marla is here to talk about the current state of workplace violence and what changes these new bills will bring. We're running a survey to better understand our listeners and what topics you'd like to hear about. It would really help us out if you took just a couple minutes to fill it out. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSHVM8M Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Marla Poston MSN, RN, CEN, NE-BC (@marlapostonmsn) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Sylvain Trepanier, System Chief Nursing Officer at Providence. Sylvain oversees a team of tens of thousands of nurses across a 51-hospital system, making him ideally suited to talk about all the things that go into staffing and recruitment. Charlene and Syl talk about skill mix when building a team, solutions to address the nursing shortage, and technology innovations that can help take the burden off overworked nurses. We're running a survey to better understand our listeners and what topics you'd like to hear about. It would really help us out if you took just a couple minutes to fill it out. Click here to take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSHVM8M Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Sylvain Trepanier, DNP, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvain-trepanier-dnp-rn-cenp-faonl-faan-79751412) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Janette Moreno, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD- BC, author of the new book Human Caring Through Healing Haiku. Janette has served in some of the top nursing leadership roles at hospitals like Cedars-Sinai and Stanford Children’s Health, in addition to serving on ACNL’s Board of Directors representing our South region. Her new book combines the gentle power of haiku with concepts found in Jean Watson’s Caring Science and Caritas Processes. Charlene and Janette talk about the Caritas Processes and why mindfulness is so important for nurse leaders. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Janette Moreno, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NPD- BC (janettemoreno.com) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Dr. Chibunna Nwaobia, also known as Dr. Chibu. Dr. Chibu has made significant contributions in the field of healthcare leadership and management. As the founder and Executive Director of NursesBond Inc, he has created a platform that serves as a leadership, educational, and social network for healthcare professionals. He and Charlene talk about the importance of networking for nurses, how to build and maintain a personal network, and how to use your personal network for career advancement and professional development. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Chibunna Nwaobia PhD, RN (nursesbond.com) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Pam Allen, Government Affairs Representative for Redlands Community Hospital. Pam was previously Director of Emergency Services at Redlands, and she currently serves on ACNL’s Health Policy Committee, working to educate ACNL members on how they can get involved in shaping legislation. Pam and Charlene talk about how she transitioned from a more traditional nursing role to working in government affairs, and share some advice for nurses who are interested in getting involved with health policy. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Pam Allen, MSN, RN, CEN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-allen-30795429/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

Charlene talks with Lee Rubin, a keynote speaker who focuses on leading high performing teams. While attending Penn State in college, Lee was Captain of the Penn State football team, and since then he’s worked as a human resources professional at Fortune 500 companies like Merril Lynch and Johnson & Johnson. Lee is a frequent speaker and panelist at corporations, conferences and schools throughout the country. Lee and Charlene talk about the specific keys to team building, how nurse leaders can meet the unique challenges their teams face, and advice for building more diverse teams. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Lee Rubin (leerubinspeaks.com) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: http://bit.ly/cog-podcast . Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.