Fellow nursing colleagues,

As I now enter my fourth decade of nursing (Yes, Florence Nightingale was in my clinical cohort!) I share my reflections with you on why I donate my time and my treasure to the foundation for advancement of nursing in Massachusetts. My hope is that the self reflection is replicated, and you come up with your own reason to support advancement of all of “our” nurses in the Commonwealth

As I moved from a (self-acclaimed) “hotshot” role of a respiratory therapist to that of a critical care nurse in Burns/trauma I immediately recognized how much more that I needed to learn and how much I did not know. I was supported in my transition to practice by a superb team of clinical nurse specialists and peers who felt sympathy for that enthusiastic (albeit petrified) new graduate! I applaud the innovation and the changes that have happened on boarding people to this wonderful profession over the past four decades. The system has changed For the better!

After almost a decade clinically, I moved into leadership as I had learned that I needed to change my skill set to adjust to a more complex and financially challenging environment. I wanted to apply my hard earned clinical Knowledge to redesign the system with the patient in the center and focus on prevention. Again I learned and was again well supported by mentors and peers In the multiple professional organizations that I joined. The system again changed For the better to more of interdisciplinary delivery model and one that recognized the key role of nursing And the one that was less dominated by white males.  

Concurrent with this professional period of growth Was a personal journey where I met and married a future Magnet Nurse Innovator of the Year who has been a spectacular partner and parent. Three beautiful (now adult) children later I continue to learn. My current focus is on changing the mental health and substance use system to be supportive of patients And families as the current system is fragmented And broken. My experience as a nurse, Coupled with my humbling experience As a parent have combined to bring me to this current inflection point and insight. The specific mental health and substance abuse disorder system is indeed changing, but painfully slow and many are suffering and dying while those changes are being enacted

My primary insight is that there are 5 million nurses in United States who work within the current system that is both wonderful in some ways but broken and fragmented in many others. Where I was once absolute In my beliefs, I have now learned to be comfortable with multiple truths occurring simultaneously.  I now believe that it is only with and through the power of this most trusted profession that spends the most time with patients (i.e. nursing) that the necessary changes of building a patient centered healthcare delivery system (as well

As a larger society) in which we ALL of us can optimize our health is achievable. At our very core, Nurses are intelligent, empathic and humanistic and those are the essential qualities that this healthcare system and our society desperately needs.  Nurses that are smart, well educated, are culturally competent, and look like the community they serve will be the change agents for these new delivery systems. 

That's why I give …because I want change and I know nursing will always do the right thing. Ask yourself the following question:

 What Have you learned and what is the best way for you to support the changes that you want this wonderful profession to make? I think many of you will come to the same conclusion that I have which is FNAMA Is a Wonderful vehicle and accelerator to make these changes happen! 

Thank you in advance for any donation that you can make.

Tim Quigley DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
President, Foundation for Nursing Advancement in Massachusetts

Health Policy Forum

When: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Where: Mass Bay Community College, Framingham

Featured Speakers at the event will include:

• Greg Durkin M.Ed., BSN, RN, NPDA-BC Director, Clinical Education and Informatics Clinical Education, Informatics, Practice and Quality
  Boston Children’s Hospital
• Oriana Beaudet, DNP RN ANA Vice President of Nursing Innovation

Registered nurses are leaving the profession within the first two years of practice at rates as high as 33%. It has been suggested that nurses leave due to factors such as bullying by coworkers, inadequate educational preparation and/or orientation as a new hire, and more recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Retention and work dissatisfaction remain key areas of study within nursing research. However, most studies consider intent to leave, versus studying those nurses who have actually left the profession. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the reasons that novice nurses have left their positions within this timeframe. The study included interviews with 17 registered nurses to examine reasons why they left the nursing profession and how they might have been retained. Themes that emerged from this study included Overworked, Family Obligations, Management, Not Completely Gone, and Additional Findings. The discussion of study findings describes potential interventions that may be helpful to retain nurses, such as self-scheduling with manager training and buy-in, and implications for future research.

Read the full article in OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing.

The Hispanic population accounts for roughly 19% of Americans—the largest minority group in the United States. However, Hispanic adults are the least likely ethnic or racial group to have health insurance or receive preventive care. Their health outcomes reflect this gap.

Several disparities in health outcomes experienced by Hispanic patients span both physical and mental health, according to Giovanna Cecilia De Oliveira, PhD, MSN, RN, ANP-C, PMHNP-BC, a clinical associate professor at the University of Miami, who’s dedicated to reducing health disparities in the Hispanic population. She recognizes that large-scale change needs to come from organizations and communities, but she also understands the power of nurses to improve their patients’ lives.

Read De Oliveira’s recommendations for nurses.