Walk into any unit, and you can feel it—some teams come alive with connection, trust, and shared purpose, while others struggle under the weight of burnout, silos, or a culture that never quite clicked. In this episode, nurse executive Dr. Dan Lose joins us to break down why engagement isn’t about “getting people to care more,” but about designing systems, roles, and environments that make engagement possible.

Dr. Lose helps us look beneath the surface to identify the core ingredients of a healthy work environment, especially for new nurses entering the profession during one of the most challenging eras in healthcare. We talk practical strategies—how leaders can free up time for real relationships by shifting administrative work off nurse managers, how roles like clinical practice leaders strengthen onboarding and ongoing support, and how intentional processes (like welcome checklists, QR‑code feedback, and consistent huddles) turn good intentions into reliable daily practice.

We explore why engagement and retention require more than fair pay—they require psychological safety, teamwork norms, clear expectations, role clarity, and a culture that values both learning and belonging. Dr. Lose also shares how interview experiences signal culture long before a nurse is hired, why new grads need ongoing check‑ins beyond residency classrooms, and how leaders can shape unit culture through small, consistent behaviors grounded in respect for colleagues, the profession, and patients.

We also take on some of the hardest realities new nurses face: night shift transitions, schedule misalignment, limited food or wellness options, and the tension leaders feel when budgets are tight. Dr. Lose offers solutions ranging from better support structures to protecting time for professional development, all while emphasizing that the strongest teams thrive when leaders carve out sacred time for relationships.

If you’re a leader, educator, or preceptor supporting new nurses, you’ll find practical, actionable takeaways you can bring back to your unit today.

Guest Bio:

Dan Lose, DNP, RN, CNML, is a nurse executive and educator known for his innovative, collaborative, and people‑centered approach to leadership. He serves as the Acute Adult Director at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he focuses on building healthy work environments and developing strong clinical teams.

With more than a decade of progressive nursing leadership experience, Dr. Lose is recognized for translating complex workforce and operational challenges into practical solutions. An adjunct professor and mentor, he is committed to developing future nurse leaders and advancing the practice of nursing at local and national levels.

Connect with Dr. Lose:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlose/

Selected Publications:
Lose, D., Lisk, J., & Hunger, S. (2025). Transforming nurse manager roles: Success through strategic clinical nurse leader integration. Nurse Leader, 23(3), 249–255.
Lose, D. & Joseph, M.L. (2023). Young nurse leader program: Inspiring the next generation for formal nursing leadership roles. Nurse Leader, 21(6), 658–663.
Boothby, J., Woline, C., Lose, D., McDaniel, J., & Nicholson, A. (2023). Unit partners: Creative role to recruit and retain students while delivering quality care. Nurse Leader, 21(6), 652–657.

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.

Engagement isn’t a score on a dashboard; it’s how a shift feels when the work is heavy, and the support is real. We sit down with Dr. Katie Boston-Leary, Senior VP of Equity and Engagement at the American Nurses Enterprise, to unpack why retention lags when organizations chase surveys instead of fixing the work itself. From red-yellow-green mood checks that trigger real-time support to linking nurse well-being with patient “happiness,” we explore practical systems that help nurses show up ready and leave with energy to return.

We take on complexity creep—EHRs that promised simplicity but added clicks, protocols that squeeze critical thinking, and floating barriers that multiply friction across units. Katie names workload as the clearest love language leaders can speak: reduce physical strain, ease cognitive load, and design psychologically safe teams. We share strategies to personalize nurse residency through appreciative inquiry, train and evaluate preceptors for coaching excellence, and ensure the unit culture mirrors the care offered in the classroom. Because a strong residency can’t overcome a toxic environment, the day-to-day must change.

You’ll hear actionable ideas that boost nurse engagement and patient outcomes: real-time readiness signals, unit problem-solving boards, transparent internal mobility windows that keep talent in-house, and human-centered design that prioritizes patient time over screen time. If you’re a nurse leader, educator, or preceptor looking to make retention a byproduct of better work, this conversation offers a clear path forward. If it resonates, follow the show, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review telling us one change you’ll try first.

GUEST: Dr. Katie Boston-Leary is the Senior Vice President of Equity and Engagement at the American Nurses Association, addressing DEIAB and workforce challenges within the profession. Katie is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. She sits on numerous boards and national committees in nursing and healthcare and serves on the editorial advisory boards of Nursing Management, Nursing 2025, OADN, and ACHE. Katie leads the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing Forum and organized ANA’s inaugural Equity Summit in Washington, DC. Katie is a 2024 ICN Global Nurse Leaders Institute Scholar and was previously identified by Health Leaders Media as “One of Five Chief Nursing Officers Changing Healthcare”. She also won the ICABA TD Bank 2023 Woman of Impact award, the 2024 Spectrum Circle Award for Innovation in Health, and the 2025 National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) President’s Trailblazer Award. She was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow at the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing with the NBNA, is a Fellow with the American Organization of Nursing Leadership (AONL), the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), and the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She was recently named as an honored listee on Marquis’ Who’s Who in America. Katie authored two chapters in The Sage Encyclopedia of Multicultural Counseling, Social Justice, and Advocacy, the first encyclopedia focused on racism and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Katie was also featured in the award-winning documentary film, Everybody’s Work, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She recently co-authored a Sigma-published book titled Harmony by Design, Navigating Work and Life in Healthcare.

LinkedIn American Nurses Enterprise

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.

In this special year-end episode of the Beyond Nurse Residency Podcast, host Nicole Weathers joins the Iowa Online Nurse Residency Program team—Jessica Ociepka, Amanda Bruscher, and Jill Gillespie—for a candid conversation about season highlights, lessons learned, and favorite moments.

Together, they revisit impactful discussions from Season 2, including navigating the emotional transition cycle for new graduates, addressing burnout, and fostering a sense of belonging. The team shares practical strategies for nurse leaders, emphasizes the importance of preceptor development, and explores why well-being must be a system-level priority.

Whether you’ve been following along all season or are tuning in for the first time, this episode is your guide to the most insightful conversations from Season 2—and a perfect starting point for discovering which episodes to queue up next.

Supporting nurses is our priority. Visit https://nursing.uiowa.edu/ionrp to explore our resources for new graduate nurses and beyond.