I’ve always thought to myself, ‘How can I give back to nursing, which has given me so much?’
We are ECU Health Proud of the amazing nurses who lend their talents to eastern North Carolina, and the many ways they serve our region. In recognition of the exceptional work done by Nursing Professional Development Practitioners, we caught up with Donnie (DJ) Johnson, a nursing professional development specialist in the Center for Learning & Performance at ECU Health Medical Center. Donnie started his career at the Medical Center more than 14 years ago. Here’s what he had to say about his role and the impact it has on nursing and patient care.
“My passion has always been to help and care for individuals, so before I became a nurse, I was a volunteer fire fighter and paramedic in my local community. I still serve with the local fire fighter department and EMS. My volunteer experiences jump-started my journey into nursing. As a new grad in nursing, I had an interest in emergency medicine. I was intrigued with the fast-paced environment, where you make quick decisions to help people on the worst day of their lives. For eight years at ECU Health Medical Center (ECUHMC), I continued my role as a bedside nurse in the Emergency Department (ED) until I transitioned into my current role as a professional development specialist- nursing with the Emergency Services division.
Being a new grad nurse in the ED was a culture shock at first but I had many mentors, clinical coaches and nursing leaders to help me develop in my role. At the start of my nursing career, we had staff development assistants, who we now refer to as nursing professional development specialists. They were able to help me grow and become competent in my role as a nurse.
I’ve always had a love for education, and in the ED I was able to function as a clinical coach and as a charge nurse. Such roles allowed me to help other nurses grow and after seeing that impact, I decided to transition into the nursing professional development specialist role. I’ve always thought to myself, “How can I give back to nursing, which has given me so much?” Through education and professional development, I am able to give back by training and educating future nurses or team members and through their development, I’m able to make an impact in patient care.
Professional development specialists inspire team members to develop professionally. We are able to accomplish this in a multitude of ways. The most important way is through relationships and human connections. We also are able to teach team members through innovation and experiential learning by using evidence-based practices. As a professional development specialist, we are here to help individuals transition from a student role into a professional role and provide them with tools and resources to be successful in their career. However, our role goes beyond the orientation component. We also coach team members through role development, training and simulation. If team members want to be the best bedside nurse they can be—we provide the resources. If they want to become a nurse leader, educator or researcher, we help guide them down that path and give them the resources and tools needed to be successful in that role.
I have had many nurse leaders encourage me and they have provided opportunities for me to grow into a nurse leader. They have encouraged me to go back to school and continue my education. I started out with an associate degree, then I went back to school to obtain my bachelor’s degree. Not too long after, I was encouraged to get my master’s degree and now I’m enrolled in a doctoral program.
We are big on innovation. With the current time we are in with the pandemic, we have had to transition how we deliver education from traditional face-to-face programs to virtual programs. One thing we have done in the ED specifically is for our new grads and experienced new nurses. In the past, the nurses were able to complete a scavenger hunt using a piece of paper but we now have an app called “Goose Chase” to engage them. With the app, you are now able to find the items on the scavenger hunt using your phone and take pictures to complete missions. It’s a fun way to learn about the hospital and develop skills. The virtual world has also encouraged collaboration and connection with the community hospitals [in the ECU Health system]. Specifically for Emergency Services, I teach an ED triage class, which is specific to ED nurses. I developed and created this class. It first started out at VMC and now the class is system-wide. We hold it virtually and it is now required for ED nurses in all ECU Health Hospitals.
As a professional development specialist, you have so many opportunities. You can build many relationships and see team members grow from being nervous on their first day to a confident well-skilled nurse. Knowing you have that type of impact is powerful.”