As clinic director, Ashley Herauf spends most of her time working with her colleagues on the day-to-day problems at 10 Sanford Health clinics in Bismarck, North Dakota. Recently though, her view of the company has expanded.
Herauf is the latest recipient of a nursing leadership development program called the Becky Nelson Fellowship.
“When you learn about Becky Nelson, I just really connect with her,” Herauf said. “She always had this vision of don’t look up or down – look forward. Handle the tasks at hand. Do good work. Take care of patients in the role that you’re in, and opportunities will find you.”
Growing in her role
The fellowship was started in 2014 to honor Nelson, who began her career as a staff nurse before ultimately serving as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the entire Sanford Health system. It is a program that looks to identify nurses like Herauf who may be able to become leaders the same way Nelson once did.
Photo by Sanford Health
“I want to do the best work in the role that I’m in and then let those opportunities find me and hopefully that opportunity is providing care for more people or more patients,” said Herauf. “If that is a higher level and the journey takes me there and that’s where the need is, I would definitely pursue it. I think this fellowship will lead me to that for sure.”
Herauf will work for an entire year being guided by mentors like Wendy Kopp, Sanford Health Bismarck’s chief nursing officer. She will also meet regularly with a team of nurses and executives from across the Sanford Health footprint. Instead of only thinking about her own clinics in Bismarck, Herauf will be empowered to work toward solutions that affect the entire organization.
“You are going from ‘What do I need to do to make my market successful?’ to ‘How do we work as a system and bring the system forward to be successful?’” Kopp said.
For Herauf, that helps in her role as a local clinic director as well.
“I maybe understand why some of those higher-level decisions are made,” Herauf said. “So now being able to communicate that to my leaders or frontline staff, it feels more transparent. If they understand why a change was made, or they understand the background, almost everybody can get on board with a change if it’s better for patient care.”
Making the most of the fellowship
Just a few short months into her fellowship, Herauf is already making an impact.
“The thing that sticks out to me most with Ashley is the collaborative approach she uses, and her ability to support her teams,” Kopp said.
For her part though, Herauf says she feels honored to be a part of this program, and she hopes that her contributions will make a lasting impact.
“To know that my leaders are invested in me to take the next step or engage in additional opportunities, it’s just very humbling,” Herauf said.
Whether she’s at the office or in the clinic, Ashley Herauf is leading by example, and making both her region and her entire organization better every day.
Learn more
- Rural health care access is nurse practitioner’s passion
- Podcast: A senior nursing student chats about her career path
- Nurse turned clinic director is now nurse leadership fellow
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Posted In Awards & Recognition, Bismarck, Nursing and Nursing Support, People & Culture
