Building a Healthier America: Transforming health and health care during and after the pandemic

Now greater than ever, society is becoming more aware of the importance of health and healthcare issues attributable to the results of Covid-19. It is crucial to have the nursing perspective represented on every kind of boards. Your current or future leadership roles would require you to reflect on what has happened over the past few months, consider the impact on patients, families, businesses and communities, and take a fresh take a look at health, health care and health systems.

As nurse leaders advise and inform others about real health issues and enhancements to the health care system, we are going to have to reflect. Renowned philosopher David Schon describes reflection-in-action as “reflecting on a situation while you can still make changes that might affect the outcome, rather than waiting until later to consider how things might be different in the future.”

• Ask others why they do something.
• Pay attention to what is going on around you.

• Be informed; with latest information rapidly flowing, make sure you take a while to examine COVID-19 and related topics/issues.
• Consider systems and processes before Covid-19, now and what they could turn into.

• Pay attention to your emotions – what triggers them and the way you take care of negative ones.
• Ask yourself, based in your skills, talents, connections, influence and fervour, what you may do to enhance or improve the delivery of health and care services.

According to Carla D. Sanderson, M.D., president of Chamberlain University:

Schon, Da (1983). Basic Books, New York.
Nurses on boards Coalition resources downloaded https://www.nursesonboardscoalition.org/resources/