Nurses Week Q&A: Clovis Community’s David Boyd

Clovis Community Medical Center chief nursing officer David Boyd, a registered nurse, has served in his top position for almost two years after vacating his post as director of clinical effectiveness at corporate information systems.

Before that, Boyd served as director of emergency and surgical services at then-University Medical Center before making his way up the ranks from where he started as a staff nurse in 1985. Boyd’s experience includes clinical management, performance improvement and service as designated nurse executive. With his knowledge of health care standards, regulations and clinical practice, Boyd has been a mentor and role model for other nurses.

In honor of National Nurses Week, May 6 to 12, MedWatchToday.com took some time to pick Boyd’s brain about the nursing profession.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a nurse?
David Boyd: I probably had some inkling when I assumed the care of “injured” G.I. Joes my brother and I played with in our back yard as little boys. Most of their injuries were crash or blast related, but I recall we also had a burn unit which I was in charge of. Public safety disclaimer: Kids – do not play with matches.

What was your first job in nursing?
Boyd: Emergency department staff  nurse in the then-Valley Medical Center/University Medical Center.

Where did you go to nursing school?
Boyd: I got my bachelor’s degree in nursing at Fresno State and my master’s degree in critical care/trauma nursing at University of California, San Francisco.

Since you began nursing, what are two of the most significant changes you’ve seen transform the profession?
Boyd: At the beginning of this century, two milestone publications from the Institute of Medicine brought necessary focus on overall health care quality and error prevention – “To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm.”  The nurse as coordinator of the care team is uniquely qualified and positioned to influence many of the quality measures we remain focused on improving. The second most significant may be the influence of changing technologies on the monitoring of patients, delivery of care. Nurses know despite “high tech” gadgets surrounding the patient, the “high touch” presence of a trained nurse is what truly lifts and comforts the human spirit.

How should someone graduating from a nursing program prepare themselves for the job in today’s market?
 Boyd: If you can, take some time to celebrate your achievement. Prepare yourself for constant change. Expect great things from your peers, nurse leaders and others and cultivate a spirit of innovation. Prepare yourself to lead future generations of nurses and always consider advancing your professional education.

How do you think nursing will change over the next decade?
Boyd: Demands for efficiency and effectiveness in health care delivery in the U.S. will generate new roles for nurses – in areas from informatics, to care coordination and management outside the hospital. Increased demands for health care access will accelerate the need for nurses in advanced practice roles – in settings both within the hospital and beyond.

What do you think will help best solve the nursing shortage?
Boyd: It requires focus at all levels of our current system – increase faculty and educational programs and partnerships, improve nursing work environments to keep them in practice, prepare nurses for their technological future and develop recruitment outreach to more men and minorities.

What is your favorite part about being chief nursing officer at Clovis Community?
Boyd: The staff here is such a great team. They don’t just care of our patients and physicians, they really take care of each other. They also know how to have fun, which helps keep balance in a work environment that can be at times demanding and stressful.

If you couldn’t work in health care, what would you like to do?
Boyd: Opera singer or park ranger – hey, how about singing ranger?

What do you do when you’re not nursing?
Boyd: Hiking, gardening and photography.

When you’re trying to recruit nurses, what do you tell them about working at Community?
Boyd: Around the Valley, there’s no better place to work that affords you this many opportunities to practice your specialty preference and the opportunity to pursue something new if that’s your desire. Community Medical Centers nursing has it all.

As a male in nursing, I encourage more men of all ages to consider this excellent first or second career opportunity. According to the March 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, 146,902 – or 5.4% of the estimated 2.7 million RNs in the U. S. were men. More recent figures from the U.S. Department of Labor show numbers as high as nearly 7%, up from less than 3% in 1980. The number of men going into nursing is expected to continue to increase, as nursing jobs remain relatively plentiful in an unstable economy. Remember, nursing is a profession – not a gender-based occupation. Choose nursing and you’ll likely experience what I have the past 20-plus years – countless female colleagues that are a great source of support, strength, mentorship and inspiration.

For more Community Medical Centers news visit http://www.MedWatchToday.com. This story was reported by Mary Lisa Russell. She can be reached at mrussell@communitymedical.org.