Who Should Attend?
- NICU Directors, Managers, Supervisors, and members of their leadership teams
- Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Supervisors
- Executive Directors of Women’s Services
Learn from leadership experts who map out clear strategies for success
Network with a community of like-minded leadership professionals to share best practices and challenges
Stay at the forefront of industry trends, products and services
WHAT OUR NURSE LEADERS
Have To Say!
COVID-19 Policy
At Synova, we believe in the importance of science, leaders leading by example, and maximizing the health and safety of our participants who will return home to families, colleagues, and the babies and families they serve. For more information on our Health and Safety plan, see the COVID-19 Health and Safety Information page.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
FearLESS: Choosing to Lead with Courage
The great Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” The NICU environment requires strong nurse leaders to be vigilant on patient safety, staff safety and the overall well-being of those on their teams. Choosing to lead fearlessly allows nurse leaders to return to an intentional leadership approach, conquering fear that can hold them back.
At the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum, we will:
- Experience a musical event to cultivate courage and joy
- Discover how to construct a culture that emphasizes belonging
- Share stories of success and find new ways to lead with purpose
- Develop lasting strategies to improve the psychological safety of all team members
Registration for the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum is now closed.
Call For Abstracts
Are you interested in submitting an abstract for a 60 or 20 minute speaking spot, or poster?
Call for Abstracts for the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum is closed.
2023 NICU LEADERSHIP FORUM
Speaker Lineup
Keynote Speaker
Tad Worku, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CEN
Musician | Songwriter | Speaker | Nurse Practitioner
SynovaThe Courage to See Hope
Tadele (Tad) Adugnaw Worku is a Family Nurse Practitioner, an educator, a musician, and most recently, a mission coach in the Inland Empire, lending his efforts to supporting clinician well-being for providers in the inland empire region of Southern California. Worku, at his core, is committed to purpose and serving those around him.
Worku is a Daisy award winner, the Vanderbilt outstanding student of the year, the Loma Linda University Health Nurse of the Year, the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Child Life Hero’s award, and more. Worku describes every recognition as a blessing and affirmation that he is doing purposeful work.
In 2012, Tad was set to embark on an international tour and release his debut pop album which he received funding for from a grant. Instead, Tad chose to cancel his tour, return his funding, and step away from music completely in search of the deeper calling that he had not yet found. Despite the benefits of performing, Worku said without a connection to purpose, he did not feel at peace. More than a decade later, Worku describes this decision as the best he’s ever made.
Worku spent six years working for a level one trauma center in Southern California, released a new album that captured his experiences as a healthcare provider, and toured the world, sharing his music and story with thousands of people.
Featured Speakers
Louis J. Alloro, M.Ed., MAPP
Change Consultant, The Wellbeing Lab
Creating Psychological Safety at Work
Elizabeth Rudolph, JD, MSN, RN
Attorney and CEO, JurexNurse.com
RaDonda Vaught: Lessons Learned from the Criminal Case Against a Nurse
Pattie Bondurant, DNP, RN
Chief Transformation and Quality Officer Transform, Healthcare Consulting LLC
Exploring the Future of Nurse Leadership
Luanne Smedley MHA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC
Executive Director & Associate Chief Nursing Officer Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
‘We’ Always Wins in the ‘Us versus Them’ Competition
Michelle Pratt, RNC-MNN, C-ONQS
Unit Director, Emory Decatur Hospital
Reducing Nurse Leader Burden: A Data-Driven Approach Using Lean Methodology
Michelle Kitchens, BSN, RN, CNML
NICU Director, Emory Decatur Hospital
Reducing Nurse Leader Burden: A Data-Driven Approach Using Lean Methodology
Diane Rogers, PCC, CPXP
President, Contagious Change
Featured Panel: Fatigue to Fearless: Nurse Leaders’ Journey to Wellbeing
Janet Wirt, MSN, RNC-NIC, NE-BC, CPXP
NICU Manager, Rady Children’s Hospital at Scripps La Jolla and Encinitas
Featured Panel: Fatigue to Fearless: Nurse Leaders’ Journey to Wellbeing
Luann Jones, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC, NE-BC
Director of Customer Success & Project Management, AngelEye Health
Featured Panel: Fatigue to Fearless: Nurse Leaders’ Journey to Wellbeing
Melissa Mora, BSN, RNC-OB
Clinical Content Coordinator, Synova Associates LLC
Featured Panel: Fatigue to Fearless: Nurse Leaders’ Journey to Wellbeing
2023 NICU LEADERSHIP FORUM
Pre-Conference Events
Quality & Safety: A Workshop to Design and Execute Your QI Projects (HALF DAY PM)
In today’s ever-changing healthcare landscape, leaders are tasked with setting an environment with an emphasis on quality and safety. Quality improvement is dependent upon strong multidisciplinary relationships as well as engaging frontline staff in a shared mental model and accountability to patient safety. In this preconference, we will review the foundations of quality and safety, how to display metrics in a meaningful way for all team members as well as how to choose the improvement initiative to focus on. We will also assess your current culture of safety and review how to apply systems thinking and utilize tools to identify meaningful solutions through case studies.
Faculty:
Pattie Bondurant, DNP, RN, Chief Transformation and Quality Officer, Transform Healthcare Consulting LLC
Samantha Alessi, MSN, RNC-NIC, CLC, ACCNS-N, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone
RATES:
$175 USD
Registration for the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum is now closed.
THE HOOK & THE PITCH: A FINANCE AND BUDGET BOOTCAMP (HALF DAY AM)
Knowing how to create a budget to maximize your staffing and unit’s needs is an essential skill for all nurse leaders. In this half day preconference, we will delve into updates on nursing economics, staffing, line-by-line budget explanation, and strategies to make the case to senior leadership to get what you need. Case studies, breakout discussions and role play activities will hone your skills to advocate for funding and provide new strategies to improve the management of your unit.
RATES:
$175 USD
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR
Brochure & Agenda
Brochure
Take a look at our NICU Leadership Forum brochure for an overview of the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum Event.
Agenda
Our agenda is ever expanding. Take a look to see what we’ll be talking about at this year’s event.
2023 NICU LEADERSHIP FORUM
Rates
MAIN CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
$799 USD Early Bird Registration (Ending December 9th, 2022)
$899 USD Regular Registration
$949 USD Late Registration (After February 10th, 2023, If Available)
PRE-CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Quality & Safety: A Workshop to Design and Execute Your QI Projects (Half Day PM) – $175
Registration for the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum is now closed.
APPLY FOR A
Conference Scholarship
Synova will be granting tuition scholarship for NICU nurse leaders to attend the 2023 NICU Leadership Forum. Scholarship application deadline is November 15th. Notifications will begin in early December. If accepted, you commit to attend the event.
[THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE HAS PASSED]
2023 NICU LEADERSHIP FORUM
Conference Details
TAKE A LOOK AT THE VENUE:
Westin La Paloma in Tucson, AZ
Synova Associates
13425 Marquette Ave
Elm Grove, WI 53122
About Synova
At Synova, we are a nurse leadership institute. We strive to change how nurse leadership works and the scope of the very field. We aim to shape a diverse work environment that endorses opportunities for both personal and professional growth. Synova Associates encourages an inclusive workforce that complements that of women, neonates, and their families.
