Ms Dana Gray1, Ms Alanna Cowley2
1Department of Health, nipaluna/Hobart, Australia, 2Tasmanian Health Service, Flinders Island, Australia
Nursing and midwifery leaders play a crucial role in ensuring quality care, promoting a healthy working environment, supporting our workforce, and achieving organisational goals. As leaders, developing our skills and capability is an ongoing process that occurs through experience, education, and self-reflection. The Office of the Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer has proudly implemented a suite of programs to support leadership capability growth across the full spectrum of our careers.
The Nursing Now Challenge, Leading for Tomorrow Today, and Executive Masterclasses support key objectives defined in Tasmania’s Health Workforce 2040 strategy. This presentation will profile the exciting suite leadership offerings using a story telling approach to share the journey of registered nurse Alanna, who in 2023, was the first participant to complete all three leadership programs.
Alanna’s story will show case her journey from the beginning when she initially registered for the inaugural Nursing Now Challenge. Alanna will generously share her key learnings, messages and importantly how she has, and continues, to transfer learnings into practice. Alanna’s journey will highlight the importance of investing in our leadership skill set not only for ourselves, but for our teams and the communities we serve.
Biography:
Dana Gray is an ADON in the Office of the Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer where she has worked since March 2020. Dana has experience in clinical, education, nurse manager and policy roles gained through employment in Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, and the United Kingdom. Dana has been awarded a Master Degree in Business Administration, a Graduate Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor of Nursing. Dana is passionate about authentic leadership, innovation, and policy to positively inform practice.
Graduating in 2006 Alanna worked in private and public acute areas (cardiothoracic, hyperbaric and emergency) and facilitated students with the University of Tasmania. With a passion for learning Alanna undertook post graduate qualifications in the domains of cardiac care and clinical nursing and teaching.
Alanna moved to Flinders Island in 2015 where she progressed to a Grade 4 and completed her Master in Clinical Nursing and Teaching. Alanna continued to support students as the Whole of Community Facilitator position alongside clinical ward work.
In 2020 Alanna was permanently appointed as the Nurse Unit Manager and engagement with the OCNMO leadership offerings began. Alanna believes these opportunities supported her journey as a new Nurse Unit Manager and into my numerous Acting Director of Nursing positions across Primary Health North.