As an uncommonly effective and driven nurse leader, Arnel, who works at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, does anything and everything to support his team to provide the very best care. He makes time for regular one-on-one meetings to recognize each person’s unique contributions, coach them on new skills and ask their opinions on how care could be improved. He does this not only with the nurses he manages, but also with care partners and technicians because he truly appreciates that the unit needs everyone to be at its best.
During the pandemic, Arnel saw that his colleagues were emotionally and physically drained, so he created a quiet space where staff could take a moment to breathe and rest, with massage tools and virtual reality headsets for a brief escape from the chaos. He knows that nurse wellbeing is a necessary part of patient care, and he thinks creatively about how to support his team in ways large and small. He doesn’t ask anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself: He shows up on weekends, does patient rounds, jumps in to care for patients and perform skin checks, or acts as a monitor technician.
Arnel also cares for the community at large through the Philippine Nurses Association of America. He even traveled to a remote island in the Philippines with fellow nurses, where they volunteered caring for people in the operating room and doing discharge education. For Arnel, nursing is a team sport, and he has built his unit on trust, high standards and communication.