Amidst the relentless demands of health care, three exceptional nurse leaders are making significant strides as leaders at ECU Health and as district representatives for the North Carolina Organization for Nurse Leaders (NCONL). Laura Respess, nurse manager of Patient Care Services, Renal Dialysis Unit at ECU Health Medical Center, Dawn Tetterton, vice president of Inpatient Nursing at ECU Health Medical Center and Jenny Parnell, manager of Patient Care Services, ICU at ECU Health Duplin Hospital, exemplify a bold, collective commitment to elevating patient care and advocating for the nursing profession statewide.
NCONL is a state-level affiliate of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. NCONL transforms patient care and serves as a voice for North Carolina nurse leaders, aiming to shape health care through innovative and expert nurse leadership.
The organization strengthens nursing leadership through professional development, facilitates nursing research to advance practice and influences health care policy regarding the value of the nursing profession.
Laura Respess & Dawn Tetterton
Having recently concluded her term as a district representative, Respess was responsible for member communication to district VI, one of the largest districts in North Carolina. She organized quarterly meetings and planned educational sessions. She coordinated contributions for events like the annual conferences and drove the request for abstracts and Quality Initiative work from members in the region to share at the NCONL conference.
“One of the things we’ve always advocated for at ECU Health is having nurses on boards,” Respess said. “Being a representative comes with the benefits of staying informed about statewide developments and sharing best practices. As a NCONL representative, you gain a good understanding of legislative matters from the perspective of nursing, and how our profession is being represented in the legislature.”
“Through NCONL, members can showcase the excellent work being done at ECU Health,” said Tetterton, who recently stepped in to fill Respess’ role. “We submit several posters and abstracts annually and have had winners chosen for podium presentations to share nursing best practices they have developed.”
“Laura has done an amazing job,” Tetterton said, “and truly was part of the reason I felt like I needed to step forward. She has worked tirelessly the past six years, exemplifying leadership at this level.”
Respess also praised Tetterton for her leadership and is confident she will be amazing in her Regional NCONL Representative role.
“My challenge for Dawn is to drive our district’s diversification, which is one of our strategic goals,” said Respess. “We primarily focus on acute care, but we recognize the need to reach out to nursing leaders in ambulatory care and health departments across the state. It’s important to involve these sectors because they play a significant role in our overall mission.”
Jenny Parnell
Jenny Parnell was inspired to join NCONL many years ago by a nurse leader at ECU Health.
“A past nurse leader encouraged many of us to join, and throughout my time as a leader with ECU Health, it has been incredibly beneficial,” said Parnell. “I attended numerous conferences and met many leaders. In the last several years post-COVID, the organization has really come back strong.”
When a district representative position opened up, Jenny was serving on the practice committee, which focused on evidence-based practice. She wanted to take on a larger role and self-nominated for the district representative role.
“My hope is to help others grow and share things I’ve learned through the years,” she said. “Laura and I worked together many years ago on CIU as young nurses, so we’ve kind of grown up together. Even if you’re not the district representative, there are other committees that you can serve on. There are many ways to serve within the NCONL, Laura will continue to serve on the board in another role and be close by to help in our region. That’s what NCONL is all about, those nursing connections.”
Learn more about nursing at ECU Health by visiting ECUHealth.org/Nursing.