National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF)

My Impact:
I began coaching C.B. on June 6th. She had a strong clinical career as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) but decided to switch pathways to academia. She applied and was accepted in the National Organizations of Nurse Practitioner Faculty’s (NONPF) Leadership Program where I volunteered to be her coach during the program. C.B.expresses that the coaching has given her the opportunity to stop and think about her trajectory. She has been promoted to Director, FNP Program and is finding, through the coaching process, that this leadership position is not what she wants to do. In addition to C.B. I have accepted another individual in the program for coaching. I have also been asked to Co-Direct the NONPF leadership program. The second organization, Chesterfield School System client completed our coaching work after 10 hours. Her goal was clear and she was very satisfied with the outcome.

Lessons Learned:
C.B: we use Skype for our meetings. The phone does not allow me to observe facial emotions during periods of silence. This observation gave me insight that she was struggling and allowed me to ask what she was feeling, which often changed direction of the conversation. I am constantly impressed with how incredibly busy women who work full time, manage a household and raise their high schooler can be. A common theme is to find balance with work, family and some personal time. It takes work and planning to find that balance, and I question whether “balance” is possible and should we be using another word or concept? With new client, A.H. we use Zoom. She lives in Alabama. I feel privileged to be working with these women. Building trust and confidential relationships is critical as these women reach deep inside to reveal their authentic being-in some instances surprising them selves.

— Ellen Dawson (02/11/2017)