Sarah Cerreto

I attribute my success to staying true to myself, being as transparent as possible, and always putting the profession of nursing at the forefront of my decisions. I focus on supporting each individual nurse while keeping the bigger goals of the nursing profession in mind. I believe in being authentic, communicating clearly about what we are working with and why things are the way they are, and staying grounded in my values.

The best career advice I ever received is don't be afraid to take risks. If something feels nerve-wracking and might not seem like the right choice, that often means it is scary because it is new, and that might be the right way to go. Getting out of your comfort zone might feel nerve-wracking, but it could be one of the best decisions you make, so take risks even if it makes your heart go up.

I would tell young women entering nursing to prepare yourself to give everything that you have to this profession but with the underlying backbone and ability to set the boundary of not letting yourself get taken over. Nursing is a very selfless role, so you have to be incredibly selfish with your boundaries and with your personal life to fill the cup back up because you are constantly giving. Be prepared to be selfless but make sure that you are selfish in the way that you refill your own cup and manage your self-care and time, or you will get burnt out really quickly.

The biggest challenge in my field right now is multitasking. We are constantly multitasking and still need to have the ability to make each individual task and each individual person feel like they have our full attention and that we are fully present in the moment. But the reality is that there are just too many tasks that have to be done at all times, so we have to be constantly multitasking. One of the biggest challenges is being fully present while being able to take care of many complex situations all at once.

The values most important to me are connecting with people as individuals regardless of their level or leadership position, treating each person with respect and value, and staying grounded and rooted. It is important to know everyone in your department, develop relationships with them as individuals, and remember the things that matter to them. When someone comes to you with an issue or complaint, view it as equally important and give them your full attention so they feel heard and valued. As a leader, you need to connect on a true human level, let them see you authentically, and ensure everybody feels like their issues are important.