As a surgeon, I’ve always had an appreciation for the important role of nurses and the hard work they do every day. As the president and chief operating officer at Sibley Memorial Hospital, that appreciation has grown exponentially. I’ve witnessed the nurses at our hospital work together to tackle every challenge, all in the name of continuing to provide world-class care to every patient. Our nurses are a central part of our care teams, and I have so much respect and administration for their commitment, dedication and passion for their work.

Each COVID-19 surge brought new hurdles almost daily. Our nurses are essential to our ability to rise to these challenges. The pandemic reinforced how important it is for nurse leaders to be deeply involved in hospital operations and quality and safety initiatives. What we’ve learned about how to integrate nurse leaders more effectively into our operations during this crisis is now changing how we do our routine work.

I particularly want to highlight the work of our nurse managers who had some of the most difficult jobs these last two years. They provide patient care on the frontlines, fill schedule gaps, support and engage their teams and the workforce, and recruit, retain and develop talent, all at the same time. There is no more critical job in the hospital than that of a nurse manager and few that are more demanding.  

I am so proud of our entire nursing workforce. The stories in this report are only a few examples of how our nurses have taken the lead to ensure the care at Sibley is of the highest quality, delivered according to best practices and based on the latest available evidence. They’ve done all this while facing an ongoing pandemic at work and at home, coupled with the unprecedented shortage of qualified nurses impacting hospitals across the United States.

Despite so many questions about what the next year holds in terms of COVID-19 and the health care workforce, when I think about our nursing team, I feel assured that better things are on the horizon. I look forward to finding opportunities to work together with Sibley’s nurse leaders to make sure that our hospital is, and remains, a workplace of choice for the talented nurses we have and those who will join us in the future.   

Hasan Zia, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.S.
President and Chief Operating Officer
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Johns Hopkins Medicine