🧯 From Firefighting to Foundations: My Third Week as a Contract DON

Whew. Week three as a Contract DON and let me tell you—this role doesn’t play.

Every day has been a new fire. A new fix. A new challenge.

But guess what? I missed this. The pressure, the purpose, the impact.

And even with all the chaos, there are four things that stay locked in like clockwork:

• 🗓️ Daily Staffing Meeting

• 🩺 Morning Clinical

• 🚨 Clinical Stand Down

• 👣 Daily Rounding

Non-negotiables. Period. These moments are where clarity lives.

Where problems surface.

Where real-time solutions are born.

You want culture? Start here.

You want compliance? Start here.

You want to stop running in circles? Start HERE.

Now, I’m training my mentee and two, unit managers, and let me just say…They are exactly what this building needs. Sharp. Passionate. Ready. And we’re building more than routines—we’re building systems.

Because here’s the truth:

Being a Director of Nursing isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about knowing how to get things DONE.

I’m learning every day. As a DON. As a Nurse Consultant. Some days are so full, I have to literally debrief with myself just to remember what I’ve accomplished.

This facility came in hot—survival mode hot. But I’m walking out in 4 weeks, and when I do, they’ll be in thriving mode with processes, plans, and structure that support real success.

No more hamster wheel. No more duct tape leadership.

✅ Let’s identify the root causes.

✅ Let’s install real systems.

✅ Let’s stop the Band-Aids and build legacies.

To all my DONs and Nurse Leaders out there—THANK YOU. For holding the line.

For staying in the game.

For building even when it’s broken.

You are the backbone. You are the culture. And baby, you are the shift.

✨ Ready to Level Up Your Leadership?

Explore more nurse leader resources like planners, workbooks, tools, and the DON Training Program at: www.directorofnursingtraining.com