A Message From Our President and CEO

UCLA Health nurses exemplify our health system’s values of compassion, respect, excellence, discovery, integrity and teamwork in everything they do. It’s not surprising that in an annual Gallup poll, Americans continue to name nursing as one of the most trusted professions. This is a testament to the expertise and humanity that nurses demonstrate in every patient interaction.

Nurses’ time spent with patients and the diversity in their roles makes their voices invaluable to the success of our organization in fulfilling our mission to deliver leading-edge patient care, research, and education. Our bedside nurses are present throughout the patient experience and serve as a consistent connection between patients, their families, and the broader health care team. Their time spent with patients often results in receiving informal information about the patient’s health goals and concerns, making them great patient advocates. Nurses also serve in a variety of roles beyond patient care and advocacy, including as educators, administrators, researchers, and leaders throughout our organization. The patient proximity and various professional responsibilities put nurses in a unique position to identify innovative opportunities that can transform care for our community.

This past year, we continued to ensure our nurses – and all employees – know that their perspectives and contributions are vital to the ongoing quality of the work we do. It has been six years since we launched the Nursing Professional Practice Models (PPM), which outline how nurses practice, collaborate, communicate, and develop professionally to provide quality care. Importantly, the practice models led to the creation of councils that empower nurses to influence decisions and contribute collectively to improve the nursing environment. The infrastructure also led to a recommitment to nursing wellness programs, which provide our nurses with much-needed support and time to decompress.

Looking ahead, we will continue to invest in the professional development and wellness of our nurses with programs to recruit and retain top talent, protect the safety of our workforce under the Safer U initiative, continue our meaningful recognition programs, and enhance our governance structures and processes to strengthen nurse engagement, amplify their voices in clinical and professional decision-making, and foster meaning and joy in their practice.

I began my career as a registered nurse in critical care, emergency and trauma services, so it is an honor and privilege for me to recognize UCLA Health nurses and all that they do to care for our patients and families and support our mission.