Deb Towns Case Study
Rebecca D'Agostino-Bailey
Leadership in Nursing
Professor Glenna Lou Nelson
November 21, 2006
Leadership Interview: Deb Towns Deb Towns is the nurse manager of the cardiac rehabilitation program at Memorial Medical Center. She is an R.N. whose leadership position is unique because she also created the program she is in charge of. Deb had a vision and used her leadership skills to see that vision become a reality. The cardiac rehab program began because there was a need. One of the qualitites in an effective leader is the ability to recognize a need and take action to make that need met. Deb began her nursing career after graduating from West Shore Community College by working briefly in Grand Rapids before settling at MMC in the mid-eighties. She worked as an R.N.. In a variety of settings including Med/Surg and CCU. While working in these capacities Dr. Persson approached her a number of times about the need to have a rehab program for cardiac patients. This patient population was not being served locally. Deb would agree with him, saying "Yes, it would be nice to have a rehab program," and that would be it. Then in 1990 Deb's first child was born. At the same time the CCU needed a manager and Deb was filling in as an interim for the department. This position had a …show more content…
The evolution of her career has been a positive experience as she has learned leadership and business skills on the job. Although the department has a supervisor, Deb has been able to run the program autonomously. She uses a "keep it in the family" approach to dealing with staff problems. When there are conflict situations or negative individuals she sits down privately with the involved party to try and resolve the problem. "Going to the supervisor is the last resort," she says. If a patient is being negative, another staff member will step in to work with that person whose personality is more
Leadership in Nursing
Professor Glenna Lou Nelson
November 21, 2006
Leadership Interview: Deb Towns Deb Towns is the nurse manager of the cardiac rehabilitation program at Memorial Medical Center. She is an R.N. whose leadership position is unique because she also created the program she is in charge of. Deb had a vision and used her leadership skills to see that vision become a reality. The cardiac rehab program began because there was a need. One of the qualitites in an effective leader is the ability to recognize a need and take action to make that need met. Deb began her nursing career after graduating from West Shore Community College by working briefly in Grand Rapids before settling at MMC in the mid-eighties. She worked as an R.N.. In a variety of settings including Med/Surg and CCU. While working in these capacities Dr. Persson approached her a number of times about the need to have a rehab program for cardiac patients. This patient population was not being served locally. Deb would agree with him, saying "Yes, it would be nice to have a rehab program," and that would be it. Then in 1990 Deb's first child was born. At the same time the CCU needed a manager and Deb was filling in as an interim for the department. This position had a …show more content…
The evolution of her career has been a positive experience as she has learned leadership and business skills on the job. Although the department has a supervisor, Deb has been able to run the program autonomously. She uses a "keep it in the family" approach to dealing with staff problems. When there are conflict situations or negative individuals she sits down privately with the involved party to try and resolve the problem. "Going to the supervisor is the last resort," she says. If a patient is being negative, another staff member will step in to work with that person whose personality is more