This article was provided by Medely.
Her journey to better healthcare staffing
Currently, Medely is honoring Inspirational Women. And, what better way to celebrate than with a woman and mother who made the transition from full-time DON positions at multiple facilities to co-founding a new company.
I enjoyed sitting down with Angie Nasr, former DON and current CNO of the Medely healthcare staffing technology platform and marketplace. She and her team work to build a better way to connect per diem and assignment professionals with ASCs, hospitals, clinics, and facilities in need.
Mary Rose Avila: Thank you for meeting with me today, Angie. I appreciate you taking your time to fill us in a little bit on your journey to where you are today and your plans moving forward.
Angie Nasr: Thanks, glad to be here.
MRA: To start, can you tell us a bit about your background and history?
AN: Sure. I am a registered nurse, and I graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I took my first job at UC Irvine, actually in the NICU. After transferring to UCLA, I was soon worn out from working nights, weekends, and holidays and looked for a job that better fit my preferred schedule. I signed with an agency to pick up shifts until I figured out my next move.
I ended up taking a job in an outpatient surgery center, my first time working with adults. I was thrown in the fire, which is a great learning experience, and was soon made the Director of Nursing. The Doctors and facility leaders expressed great confidence in me and my abilities, although I felt somewhat unsure I was prepared to take on this elevated role.
But, it made me learn really fast, and I am a very resourceful person by nature. I knew how to leverage our resources, often using Google. Additionally, I reached out to DONs and other healthcare leaders in my network to draw on their expertise and insights. Over several years, I moved onto larger facilities and really learned the ropes at multiple Outpatient Surgery Centers. But, I always had an issue with adequate staffing for our cases. I continually had to call other nurses that I knew of to work shifts and cases we couldn’t cover for staffing.
Making the Transition
MRA: I can probably imagine that one of the most significant issues with finding staff was your time. Because, as I imagine, every second you’re on the phone or trying to connect is the time taken away from your cases and your patients. As you discovered the need for better methods using technology, how did you help Medely launch? What was it like in the beginning?
NS: It was a transition and labor of love, for sure. My co-founders and I worked for a year to launch Medley. I still had my full-time job and would work nights and weekends setting up the clinical operations infrastructure. I was screening and onboarding Nurses to the tech platform and marketplace during my lunch hour. The work was hard, but it was so rewarding to see the vision become a reality.
I would perform all the in-person interviews [for the healthcare pros] after work to ensure they were competent, experienced nurses. We started with positions in surgical services, primarily Circulating, PACU, and Pre-op RNs, as those were the most in-demand. Soon we expanded to Surgical Techs and several other positions in the ASC setting.
Finding Inspiration
MRA: As you know, Medely is celebrating Inspiring Women. In asking many Medely staff who their personal Inspirational Woman is, several said you inspire them! How do you feel about that?
NS: Well, I’m shocked and honored! I would have thought of a celebrity or someone who won the Nobel Peace Prize or even a more famous person. I feel sort of floored that they would name me!
MRA: Who would you say inspires you?
AN: My personal Inspiring Woman, and I know it sounds cliche’, but I would say, my Mom. She came here from a foreign country and worked my entire childhood. I remember Mom always being such a hard worker, even to this day. No job was too big or too small for her, and she taught me the value of being an independent woman.
Moving to the future
MRA: What’s your favorite thing about Medely? And, finally, where do you see Medely heading into the future?
AN: For me, my favorite thing is just seeing this dream come to fruition and that facilities now have a way to book someone easily. It’s something we never had at our fingertips. Before, I would have loved to sign up for this tech app and dive right in. That’s a huge opportunity to have that on-demand workforce. Of course, I love how to customize it, build a favorites list, and book short or longer-term jobs. It really allows healthcare professionals to come into a facility and bring new ideas, culture, and practices with them.
Our vision for Medely will continue to evolve as a technologically advanced workforce management platform. We will continue to focus on the customer experience and provide a simple way for facilities to book pros. Likewise, pros get to earn more while experiencing the freedom and flexibility they deserve.
MAR: I think that makes a lot of sense. I certainly appreciate your time and have learned a lot myself.
AN: Thanks for the opportunity to share my story!
Angie Nasr had a long journey from an RN looking for a flexible work-life balance to a new DON, quickly learning the ropes to the CNO of one of the largest on-demand healthcare platforms available. Other women can learn from her experience by working on their terms or taking the dive as a leader in a growing company, despite all their other obligations.
We hope you enjoyed reading this interview with Angie about her transition from nurse to CNO. Do you have any questions about the transition that wasn’t answered here? Comment them below.
