The 2024 South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations 2024 Nurse Leadership Program kicked off this past week, with participants meeting in the capitol city of Pierre.
The SDAHO Nurse Leadership program began in 2019 to connect and provide nursing professional development skills, critical thinking and conflict management tools to assist in their leadership journey. The program is a customized education program designed to equip hospital and post-care nurse leaders and emerging nurse leaders with leadership and operational skills they need to be successful, supportive leaders in their own organizations. Since it began the program has grown in the number of participants but also in the many different disciplines represented by nurses. Debra Morello is SDAHOās Nursing Professional Development Specialist and the organizer of the Nurse Leadership Program. āI am very pleased to see so many interested nursing professionals take part in this years Nurse Leadership program. This year we have nurses from across the entire state, representing many different departments from where they work, including long-term care facilities, hospitals, clinics and home health.ā In addition, Morello says itās exciting to not only see so many nursing professionals take part in this unique opportunity but they represent a variety of ages. āWe never stop learning and seeing so many different ages participating in our nurse leadership program proves that education is important throughout our careers, and Iām proud that SDAHO can be a part of providing valuable to education to those participating in this program.ā
This yearās kick off session was one of three in-person meetings, with this session focusing on Crucial Conversations and advocacy. The 2024 State Legislative session is also taking place in Pierre, which allowed attendees to hear from two state legislators who hold leadership positions within the GOP party. Senator Casey Crabtree from Madison is the Senate Majority Leaders and Representative Will Mortenson from Pierre is the House Majority Leader, and both spoke to the group about the importance of understanding advocacy at all levels. Michella Sybesma is the VP of Education and Communication with SDAHO, āWe are very appreciative of both Senator Crabtree and Representative Mortenson taking time out of their very busy schedules to visit with the participants of the Nurse Leadership program. Both shared their appreciation and thanks to our nurses and healthcare providers for the important work they do every day. Plus, SDAHOās CEO Tim Rave who is in Pierre lobbying for our members visited with the group and provided an update on SDAHOās role in advocacy and stressed the importance of being a healthcare advocate in their respective communities.”
The SDAHO 2024 Nurse Leadership runs from January 2024 to September 2024, wrapping up at the associations Annual Convention. For more information on the Nurse Leadership program, visit our website.
