海角社区

Meet Barbara Griffin, Chief Nursing Officer at Rapides Regional and 海角社区A Alumna. As head of nursing at Rapides Regional Medical Center, 海角社区 Alexandria nursing alumna Barbara Griffin is not only providing critically needed medical care for people in Central Louisiana, but also ensuring jobs and professional advancement for hundreds of 海角社区A nursing alumni.

Griffin oversees the work of 450 nurses at Rapides Regional in Alexandria, Louisiana. Many of them are alumni of the 海角社区A nursing program. Although she hired another 169 海角社区A graduates over the past five years, Griffin would hire many more today if she could.

鈥淧re-Covid, I used to need another 35 nurses to cover the work and meet the demand of the community for healthcare,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淣ow, like most hospitals in the United States, we need more. So, when people say there鈥檚 a demand for nurses, it鈥檚 real. It鈥檚 absolutely real.鈥�

海角社区A is working to address the nursing shortage head-on, including through the Central Louisiana Nurses for the Future Program. It has graduated an additional 155 registered nurses in just the last two years鈥�98 percent of whom are now working in Central Louisiana and surrounding parishes. But more are needed. As Covid hospitalizations continue to decrease, the demand on nurses is increasing still, as many people who put off routine screenings and preventative care during the pandemic are returning for appointments.

鈥淭hank God people are coming in and going to their doctors again, but the demand for nursing is even higher,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淐olonoscopies, mammograms鈥攖here鈥檚 a backlog of critical procedures that need to be done. That鈥檚 another beauty of nursing鈥攖here鈥檚 a thousand things you can do. You don鈥檛 have to work at a hospital, but this also makes it harder for us to hire.鈥�

Griffin, however, has some tricks up her sleeve. Specifically, employee benefits and professional opportunities for educational advancement and higher salaries. When Griffin became Chief Nursing Officer at Rapides Regional six years ago, she was one of a few nurses at the hospital with an advanced degree鈥攁 Master of Science in Nursing, or MSN.

鈥淢any of my leaders, and I have 12 who report directly to me, had associate degrees when I came; the education level was entry level,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with that, but education opens the door to get everything in your life to a better point, and I鈥檓 extremely proud to have guided my team to advance their degrees to continue to be promoted. Now, every one of them has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and half have either an MSN or an MBA, with the other six enrolled to obtain theirs.鈥�

Barbara Griffin on leadership:

Barbara Griffin, chief nursing officer at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana, has hired 169 海角社区A nursing graduates in the last five years and would hire more right now if she could. Photo by Elsa Hahne/海角社区.

鈥淢y leadership style is to love people. And also, to lead by example and not be afraid to do the hard stuff. Every day I find the good in people and expect excellence.鈥�

Barbara Griffin on innovation:

Barbara Griffin, chief nursing officer at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana, has hired 169 海角社区A nursing graduates in the last five years and would hire more right now if she could. Photo by Elsa Hahne/海角社区.

 

鈥淭o me, innovation is about learning. Healthcare is the most stable industry in the world, but changes the fastest, also. There are always new techniques and technologies, medications and treatment plans. The more education you can have, or offer, is the best way to stay innovated.鈥�

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It also doesn鈥檛 hurt that she has a killer recipe for chocolate chip cookies and regularly bakes treats for colleagues.

鈥淚t鈥檚 silly, but it works, and it鈥檚 a bigger deal than you鈥檇 think,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not really about the cookie, of course. I could bring them candy bars or ice cream, but they鈥檙e like, 鈥榃e really want the chocolate chip cookies.鈥� It鈥檚 about sharing something you made, and that gives them a good feeling.鈥�

When asked about sharing her recipe, Griffin gently declines.

鈥淲hen I die, on my program at the funeral, I鈥檓 going to put my recipe on there,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淎nd if there鈥檚 a plaque, I would like it to say that I made the working experience better for the nurses here at Rapides and that I helped them advance their education and careers.鈥�

Griffin lives in Dry Prong, Louisiana, with her 88-year-old mother, whom she cares for.

鈥淚 was always my mother鈥檚 helper,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淵ou can say nursing came naturally to me. I was born to a family of six children and my mother took care of everything with me by her side. The only reason you鈥檇 ever go to the hospital back then was if you had rheumatic fever, a snake bite or coarctation of the aorta. Other than that, my mother took care of everything, and she鈥檚 not a nurse. She鈥檚 German.鈥�

鈥淔rom her, I got my love of taking care of people,鈥� Griffin continued. 鈥淚 love being a nurse and I love it when it鈥檚 kind of a puzzle; when people come in and tell you what鈥檚 going on. 鈥業 know what you鈥檝e got, and I know how we can help you.鈥� It really is an honorable profession, nursing. I have the best job ever, and I鈥檓 grateful every day.鈥�

Although Griffin pursued more advanced degrees and also worked for many years at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge before returning to Central Louisiana, she traces her success back to 海角社区A.

鈥満＝巧缜鳤 was my first love,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here, I did the groundwork to be able to move forward, and from then on, I was set.鈥�

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 hard to recruit people to come to this area, unless you鈥檙e from here,鈥� Griffin continued. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why the 海角社区A nursing program is so critical, educating nurses from this community for this community. It鈥檚 a beautiful thing.鈥�

Read more:

• Building Partnerships to Shore Up the Nursing Shortage