When we talk about competency in nursing, it is often framed as something to complete or check off. But what if competency could truly support nurses, strengthen confidence, and build engagement over time?

In this episode of Beyond Nurse Residency, host Nicole Weathers is joined by nationally recognized competency expert Donna Wright, MS, RN, NPD-BC. Drawing on decades of experience, Donna invites us to reconsider what competency really means in nursing practice and professional development.

Together, they explore how traditional, task-focused approaches can create fear, frustration, and disengagement, especially for new nurses and high performers. Donna shares a more thoughtful, human-centered approach that emphasizes ownership, empowerment, accountability, and trust. The conversation highlights how organizations can move away from overwhelming checklists and toward systems that reflect real practice and support learning over time.

This episode is especially helpful for nurse leaders, educators, and NPD practitioners looking for practical ways to simplify competency processes while fostering confidence and purpose across the nursing workforce.

GUEST: Donna Wright, MS, RN, NPD-BC
Donna Wright, MS, RN, NPD-BC, is a nurse and professional development specialist and consultant with Creative Health Care Management in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She holds degrees in Nursing, Family Sociology, and Adult Education, all from the University of Minnesota.

Over her career, Donna has worked with healthcare organizations across the country and around the world to design meaningful, effective programs that support professional development and competency assessment across all departments. She is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Competency Assessment in Healthcare, which has been translated into Japanese and is used widely throughout Japan. She is also the author of The Competency Assessment Field Guide.

Donna is a co-author of two national award–winning books, Relationship-Based Care: A Model for Transforming Practice and Advancing Relationship-Based Cultures.

Her work has taken her across six of the seven continents, including rural Africa. Antarctica remains the only continent she has not yet worked on.

Throughout her career, Donna has served in both staff and leadership roles and is well known for her energy, curiosity, and refreshing approach to education and learning. She is a member and past president of the Association for Nursing Professional Development and a recipient of both the “Promoting Excellence in Consultation” award and the Marlene Kramer Lifetime Achievement Award.

Website Links: Creative Health Care Management | CHCM Competency CHCM LinkedIn | CHCM Facebook | CHCM Instagram

Articles or Publications: Durkin, G. (2019). “Implementation and Evaluation of Wright’s Competency Model.” Journal for Nurses in Professional Development. Vol 35, no. 6, p 305-316.

Wright, D. (2021). The Ultimate Guide to Competency Assessment in Healthcare. 4rd Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Creative Health Care Management.

Wright, D. (2020). The Wright Model of Competency Assessment: 5-part video Series. Minneapolis, MN: Creative Health Care Management.

Wright, D. (2015). Competency Assessment Field Guide. A Real World Guide for Implementation and Application. Minneapolis, MN: Creative Health Care Management.

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.

In this episode of the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast, host Nicole Weathers sits down with Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN, President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, to break down what truly makes a healthy work environment in nursing. Together, they explore AACN’s evidence-based Healthy Work Environment Standards, why they matter now more than ever, and how they directly influence nurse engagement, retention, satisfaction, and patient outcomes.

Rebekah shares practical strategies for getting started, meaningful insights from national AACN data, and her personal perspective on implementing culture change at the unit and system level. Whether you're a leader, educator, or new graduate nurse, this episode offers actionable steps—and inspiring vision—for building stronger, more collaborative, more supportive teams.

About our Guest:
Rebekah Marsh, BSN, RN, CCRN,
President of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
https://www.aacn.org/about-aacn/board/rebekah-marsh
https://www.aacn.org/aacn-theme
https://www.aacn.org/nursing-excellence/healthy-work-environments
LinkedIn Profile

Selected Publications:
https://www.aacn.org/blog/three-reasons-nurse-leaders-should-prioritize-healthy-work-environment

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.

Walk into any unit, and you can feel it—some teams come alive with connection, trust, and shared purpose, while others struggle under the weight of burnout, silos, or a culture that never quite clicked. In this episode, nurse executive Dr. Dan Lose joins us to break down why engagement isn’t about “getting people to care more,” but about designing systems, roles, and environments that make engagement possible.

Dr. Lose helps us look beneath the surface to identify the core ingredients of a healthy work environment, especially for new nurses entering the profession during one of the most challenging eras in healthcare. We talk practical strategies—how leaders can free up time for real relationships by shifting administrative work off nurse managers, how roles like clinical practice leaders strengthen onboarding and ongoing support, and how intentional processes (like welcome checklists, QR‑code feedback, and consistent huddles) turn good intentions into reliable daily practice.

We explore why engagement and retention require more than fair pay—they require psychological safety, teamwork norms, clear expectations, role clarity, and a culture that values both learning and belonging. Dr. Lose also shares how interview experiences signal culture long before a nurse is hired, why new grads need ongoing check‑ins beyond residency classrooms, and how leaders can shape unit culture through small, consistent behaviors grounded in respect for colleagues, the profession, and patients.

We also take on some of the hardest realities new nurses face: night shift transitions, schedule misalignment, limited food or wellness options, and the tension leaders feel when budgets are tight. Dr. Lose offers solutions ranging from better support structures to protecting time for professional development, all while emphasizing that the strongest teams thrive when leaders carve out sacred time for relationships.

If you’re a leader, educator, or preceptor supporting new nurses, you’ll find practical, actionable takeaways you can bring back to your unit today.

Guest Bio:

Dan Lose, DNP, RN, CNML, is a nurse executive and educator known for his innovative, collaborative, and people‑centered approach to leadership. He serves as the Acute Adult Director at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he focuses on building healthy work environments and developing strong clinical teams.

With more than a decade of progressive nursing leadership experience, Dr. Lose is recognized for translating complex workforce and operational challenges into practical solutions. An adjunct professor and mentor, he is committed to developing future nurse leaders and advancing the practice of nursing at local and national levels.

Connect with Dr. Lose:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlose/

Selected Publications:
Lose, D., Lisk, J., & Hunger, S. (2025). Transforming nurse manager roles: Success through strategic clinical nurse leader integration. Nurse Leader, 23(3), 249–255.
Lose, D. & Joseph, M.L. (2023). Young nurse leader program: Inspiring the next generation for formal nursing leadership roles. Nurse Leader, 21(6), 658–663.
Boothby, J., Woline, C., Lose, D., McDaniel, J., & Nicholson, A. (2023). Unit partners: Creative role to recruit and retain students while delivering quality care. Nurse Leader, 21(6), 652–657.

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.