2024 Washington State Nurses Hall of Fame — Q&A with Jennifer Graves

What have been some great career moves?

My most successful career moves have involved taking risks, staring fear in the eye, and overcoming imposter syndrome. If I’m nervous or anxious, I have learned to lean into those feelings and go for them.

Entering nursing education was an unexpected and great career move. There is nothing more satisfying than shaping the hearts and minds of nursing students as they begin their careers. That is something I truly love.

My first leadership role was a terrifying yet good career move. I am passionate about stepping into practice settings and creating alignment with nurses around a vision that keeps them inspired and excited to come to work each day.

Talk about the risk you took.

When I was in graduate school, I was approached to help launch a temporary nurse staffing agency. I took a break from school. I was in my 20s, and temp agencies were a relatively new business concept. As we launched, I knew that if I didn’t have someone to fill in a shift, I must take the assignment to keep the client hospital safely staffed. I worked in hospitals from Bellingham to Tacoma. I learned about assessing practice settings quickly, how to determine priorities and available resources, and the best way to ask questions and become a member of a new team. After a bit more than a year, I went back to graduate school to use what I had learned and complete my education.

Talk about your work during the pandemic.

COVID was insanely difficult, particularly in the early days, with information changing daily, but I witnessed the absolute best in humanity during that time. I saw partnerships form between agencies and groups I never thought possible, and the walls of competition came down to best serve our communities. Since there was no playbook, we could use our imagination and creativity to solve problems together. We were working on the fly every day, and although it was exhausting in some ways, it was also super energizing.

In partnership with public health, my team opened a 140-bed field hospital on a soccer field in Shoreline, as our acute facilities in King County were overwhelmed. This was the first field hospital in the country, and we did it in weeks. We didn’t know how many volunteers we could get to staff such a facility, yet after sending a memo, more than 120 people stepped forward. It was seriously one of the most wonderful things I have ever done—working side by side with medical assistants and nurses who came forward to do the right thing and help the most vulnerable. In addition, Alaska Airlines stepped forward with Digi players for those in the field hospital, and FareStart brought in meals for patients.

Later that year, as the first vaccines became available, I put on my white coat and Santa hat, and we held a mass vaccination clinic in Renton on Christmas day for healthcare staff. It was overwhelming and wonderful to be able to give that gift.

What is your advice for new nurses?

When a door opens, it’s OK to pause but go through it. Nothing in my career went as expected, and it’s so important to pay attention to the signs around you that might be pointing in a particular direction.

Join a professional association like WSNA to come together with other nurses.

Connect with a mentor. During the transition into nursing practice or into new settings, it is really important to have a safe space to process the emotions and things you witness.

Be curious and not complacent. Seek out new information, speak up, ask clarifying questions, and continue to learn. There is oh so much to learn!

Be the nurse who lifts others up. Creating a trusting team means working to avoid our tendency to tear people down when we are overwhelmed, scared, and unsure.

How would you describe your impact?

As a nurse and direct caregiver, my impact was to be a trusted partner in care and to ease the way for patients and families and my coworkers.

As an educator, my goal was positively shaping the minds and hearts of those entering the profession. I still stay in touch with my students, who brought me such joy.

As a nursing leader, my impact was to create an inspiring vision and environment where staff felt safe and could always speak up. Healthy environments allow for ideas and contrary opinions.

Do you have some memorable WSNA moments to share?

At my first board meeting as an elected director, I was the only administrative person. It was tense and uncomfortable hearing people refer to management as “they” and nurses as “we.” Yet it was really wonderful to move from that tension to a place where we could actively listen to each other’s perspectives and realize we are all nurses and begin to operate cohesively to better the profession.

Another memorable moment was when I was elected to attend the ANA Membership Assembly in 2010. It was my first time in Washington, D.C., and the WSNA delegation had won the seating lottery and was sitting in the front row. At that meeting, President Barack Obama addressed us in person. It felt so monumental to have this incredible man take significant time to speak to all of us; the respect he demonstrated for nurses is something that I will never forget.

What is next for you?

My hope is that I’ll be able to take my lessons from these four decades in nursing and return to teaching in some capacity and perhaps support organizations that are in transition by coming in as an interim leader in a nursing, quality, and safety, or other administrative role. I have a lot of runway left, and I hope to use that to benefit our communities for the foreseeable future!