Jana Moreno

I attribute my success to my mom and dad - I know it sounds cliche, but they instilled in me to work hard, to listen, and if there's an opportunity somewhere that you're able to address or fix, you fix it. You see something, do something. That foundation has been everything to me. Aside from that, I've been fortunate to work with really great organizations that helped me along the way and coached me through my journey, everybody needs that learning opportunity. I'm extremely grateful that I had the opportunity at my previous employers and organizations to be able to learn and grow. Without those learning opportunities and the support from great leaders, I wouldn't be where I am today.

The best career advice I've ever received is to make sure you actively listen. I think that's a skill set that sometimes we forget is vitally important in your professional career as well as your personal life. You need to make sure you're actively listening and understand where someone's coming from. We may not always agree with it, but you can acknowledge it. Everyone wants to feel heard, and that's something I carry with me every day, professionally and personally.

I would say be prepared for the unexpected. You think you've seen everything until you haven't - there's always room for personal growth and professional growth. This all falls back to actively listening to your team. Just because the information you're receiving may be hard or uncomfortable to hear sometimes, that doesn't mean that we can't address it and shouldn't address it. That way, you, your team, and the organization can grow together. It takes a village, so you have to really rely on each other, on your resources, on your tools to make the complete circle and the complete team. It's not one person - it takes all of us, from admin to executives.

The biggest challenges in emergency medicine right now are the recruitment and retention of EMTs and Paramedics. The numbers have been relatively consistent over the years, so it's challenging to find those teammates, bring them on board, ensure that they are able to grow, that they're comfortable and confident, and then to retain them. Unfortunately, in emergency medicine, the turnover rate is relatively high. So, we're really learning how to retain those employees, understanding what's important to them, and giving them the tools to succeed.

The values most important to me are being empathetic, being fair, and not only showing that you care but also showing that you're willing to invest time and effort towards a solution. Depending on which field you're in, your patients, your customers, your clients are super important - there's always that phrase that the customer's always right -just as equitable with them are your employees and your teammates. You have to put in the time and the effort to ensure that they receive all the tools and knowledge that they need to be successful. If they're successful, your organization is successful. As a leader, you have to recognize learning opportunities and understand that it's your responsibility to address those learning opportunities to help the growth of an employee. That's what leadership means to me.