Englewood Hospital leaders walk in frontline colleagues' shoes

At HCA Florida Englewood Hospital, exceptional patient care begins with empathy, dedication and a deep understanding of the frontline experience. Nurses and other caregivers are at the heart of healing, guiding patients through their most vulnerable moments with compassion and skill.

Leaders at HCA Florida Englewood Hospital, including Kimberly Becker, clinical career coach and program director for HCA Healthcare West Florida Division, recently participated in “Walking in Your World”- an initiative that involves canceling meetings, donning scrubs and sneakers, and shadowing frontline team members to better understand their daily experiences and challenges.

Becker spent the day with Lily Bakulski, a registered nurse and recent graduate, as she cared for patients on the hospital’s medical-surgical unit.

“Lily said she loves that she was able to serve patients on the floor right away and work with her nurse preceptor during her first week on the job,” Becker said. “We make decisions based on feedback from the people we work with. I love that it is going well for her and that our nurse residency program is making a difference.”

The job shadowing experience has become a monthly tradition at Englewood Hospital, offering leadership valuable insight into nursing and sparking ideas for continuous improvement.

Hospital CEO Kelly Lindsay joined the effort by shadowing Karen Simon, a patient care technician on the cardiac specialty unit.

“We are ‘walking in your world’ to see what barriers our frontline colleagues face,” Lindsay said. ”We want to continuously improve the experience of working at Englewood Hospital. The best way to do that is to get closer to our colleagues. It’s an opportunity to connect with our team, physicians and patients, to see what it’s like to be in their world.”

Throughout the day, hospital leaders assisted with patient care, assessments, staffing reviews and discussions around surgical services efficiency and safety.

Reflecting on the experience, Bakulski said, “When you walk in the shoes of someone on the frontline, it changes your perspective. You see things differently. I think it’s really cool that someone takes time from their day to see what our life is like. It makes me feel valued and that I’m doing a good job.”