K. David Bailey

K. David Bailey

Credentials: PhD, RN, MBA, CCRN-K, NEA-BC, FACHE

Place of Employment: UCLA Health Medical Center, Santa Monica

Tell us about your journey to the boardroom. What inspired you to seek a leadership position?

During my teenage years, I seemed to be drawn toward leadership positions, both formal and informal, because people trusted me. This continued as I entered nursing school and I eventually pursued the nursing administration route in graduate school. Since accepting my first formal leadership position many years ago, I have continued to grow with expanding roles with greater levels of responsibility. However to be successful, I knew I needed to continue my education both in nursing and in business so that I could expand my thinking and experiences to ensure I could lead with the necessary depth and breadth of skills required of an executive nurse leader. Thus, my pursuit for lifelong learning is necessary for nurse leaders.

As I transitioned from clinician to leader, I missed patient care and personally struggled with this until a great friend/mentor shared with me that I could have a broader influence for the patients by taking care of the care team. I will never forget that lesson! In the boardroom, I continuously advocate for nurses and patients to ensure the necessary resources are available.

As I continue to learn and grow, I share what I have experienced and encourage others to grow professionally through certification, advanced degrees and leadership conferences to maintain current practice. I love to mentor emerging and novice nurse leaders and guide them through their experiences.

I have worked my entire career in acute care, but over the last few years, I have become more involved externally. Being involved with organizations with a focus on improving patient care has broadened my thinking and experiences and has made me a better leader and this is why I serve on two different boards – one locally and one nationally. I am also actively engaged in the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing, a professional organization for nurse leader researchers/scholars and practitioners to collaborate on research and evidenced-based leadership practice.

What is the key lesson you have learned through your leadership journey?

Leadership styles make a significant influence on the experience for the patient and the nurse; these experience may be either positive or negative. Latest evidence suggests that nurse leaders who practice from an authentic perspective make a positive difference on RN satisfaction and retention, patient experience, and the work environment. Leadership is ultimately about the trusting relationships leaders build and nurture with their team members and this is the hallmark of authentic leadership.

- PhD, RN, MBA, CCRN-K, NEA-BC, FACHE

K David Bailey PhD, RN, MBA, CCRN-K, NEA-BC, FACHE October 18, 2019