From Staff Nurse to Quality Improvement Director
 |
David Loose,
RN, MSN
Director of Quality
Improvement Eden Medical Center |
Imagine having a career that offers
education, travel, and an opportunity to climb the leadership
ladder. This was David Loose’s experience when he was
commissioned as a Nurse Corps Officer in the United States
Navy right after graduating from Episcopal Hospital School
of Nursing in Philadelphia. The year was 1971, toward the
end of the Vietnam War.
He began his career as a staff nurse and then became a charge
nurse of a floor. He took on the additional responsibilities
of department head, eventually becoming an assistant director
of nursing and then director of nursing.
Throughout his 25 year career, he served in a variety of
nursing areas including Labor and Delivery, Ambulatory Care
and Critical Care to name a few. “This served me well
as I became more senior because it provided the background
to understand health care as a continuum,” explains
David. Throughout this time he demonstrated the importance
of a commitment to the profession of nursing by serving in
leadership positions in professional organizations and focusing
on the development of new nurses and the mentoring of future
leaders in nursing.
 His message to young men who are thinking about going into
nursing is simple. “Many people have a narrow view
of a nurse. They see it as someone who follows the physicians’ orders.” He
says that may be a part of nursing, but nursing today is
much more. Nursing requires critical thinking and provides
unlimited opportunities for growth. “There are so many
different areas nurses can work in today: in huge medical
centers in the major cities or small clinics in National
Parks, on aircraft carriers or helicopters, with Doctors
Without Borders in war ravaged areas of the globe, or simply
serving in the community where you live,” remarks David.
To men who are already in nursing, David suggests being
open to working in a variety of areas as a way to enhance
your skills as a leader in the profession. With so many different
specialties to choose from, he recommends not locking yourself
into a decision right away as to where you want to spend
the rest of your career. He says commit to continuing your
education in whatever specialty you choose. He feels the
best leaders are those that are well-rounded with both experience
and education. “Most importantly, never lose sight
as to why you became a nurse. That desire to help others
provides the foundation, no matter what position you take
in nursing. True compassion and caring is behind all that
you do,” he says.
While in the Navy, David received his MSN in Nursing Administration
and Community Health Nursing from the University of California,
San Francisco. His current position is Director of Quality
Improvement at Eden Medical Center which is part of Sutter
Health Care. David is a member of the Association of California
Nurse Leaders and serves on the Healthcare Quality Certification
Board. He is a founding member of the Coalition for Nursing
Careers in California whose goal is to lead an outreach effort
to achieve an adequate and diverse nursing workforce to meet
the needs of California and promote nursing as a career.
Release Date: May 6, 2005
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