Her Story
About Lesly
Lesly Miller-Jacobs, BSN, RN, RNC-OB, CRNI, CPST, CPXP, is a seasoned nursing professional and patient advocate based in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania. With a career spanning nearly four decades in nursing, she has built a strong foundation in clinical care, patient safety, and patient-centered service. Her early professional journey included extensive experience in labor and delivery and infusion therapy, where she supported patients through critical and often life-changing moments of care.
Throughout her 22-year tenure as an RN with Geisinger Holy Spirit, Lesly developed deep expertise in bedside nursing, IV therapy, and women’s health, earning recognition for professionalism and leadership in clinical settings. She has been honored multiple times for her contributions to nursing excellence, including nominations for Nurse of the Year and recognition as a top RN performer in Pennsylvania. Her work has also extended into professional engagement, including presentations at national infusion nursing conferences.
In her current role as Patient Advocate and Community Liaison at Conemaugh Nason Medical Center, Lesly focuses on improving patient experience and organizational communication. She leads initiatives such as patient interviews, voice-of-the-customer survey analysis, and collaboration with leadership teams to drive quality improvement. Recently certified as a Certified Patient Experience Professional (CPXP), she continues to center her work on advocacy, trust, and respectful communication, guided by a long-standing professional commitment to “make a difference” in healthcare.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lesly
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success entirely to the support of the people around me, including my family, friends, coworkers, and leadership. I intentionally surround myself with positive people who lift me up, and I make it a point to do the same for others. Throughout my career, I have been incredibly fortunate to have mentors who instilled confidence in me when I needed it most. Because of that, I love returning the favor—especially to young nurses—by building them up and helping them find their own footing and confidence in this profession.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received has become my personal mantra, something I first heard back in nursing school: "Go out there and make a difference." It doesn't matter how big or small the action is, or exactly how you choose to do it, but make a conscious effort to leave something better than you found it. Whether you are improving a patient's immediate health, optimizing the clinical environment, or supporting a teammate, focusing your day on making a tangible, positive difference changes your entire approach to the work.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My primary advice is simple: never give up. Keep striving to achieve your goals, even if you have to take them on in small, incremental steps. Progress doesn't always happen overnight, especially in a demanding field like healthcare. As long as you keep moving forward and refuse to quit, those small steps will eventually add up to massive achievements.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in our field isn't necessarily a temporary case of being short-staffed, but rather the broader issue of getting people to choose nursing as a profession. When fewer people enter the field, there simply aren't enough nurses to go around. While we always ensure our patients are thoroughly taken care of, a lack of total numbers means we rarely get to spend as much quality time with them as we would like.
For instance, when it comes to patient education, we want to do so much more than just hand over a medication and list its side effects. We want the time to truly teach them—to explain exactly how that medication works within their body and how it actively prevents their specific disease process. The challenge is balancing the baseline clinical demands with our deep desire to provide that next level of comprehensive, preventative care.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Communication, trust, honesty, and advocacy are the cornerables of my practice. Communication is key in absolutely any relationship, whether it is between coworkers, with a spouse, or between a nurse and a patient. As long as you can talk openly, you can get through any challenge and co-create a solid game plan. This ties directly into honesty and trustworthiness. In nursing, you frequently have to deliver bad news, but as long as you are completely honest, people know exactly what they are facing and can find the strength to process it. Underpinning all of this is mutual respect and a dedication to advocating for those in your care.
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