Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Redefining Care Delivery Through Advanced Practice Nursing Leadership with Priscilla Samuel, DNP

Transcript

Redefining Care Delivery Through Advanced Practice Nursing Leadership with Priscilla Samuel, DNP · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

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  This is Scott Becker from the Becker's HealthCare
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  podcast.
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  Thrilled today to be joined by a brilliant
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  leader. We're joined today by Priscilla Samuel, and
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  Priscilla's gonna talk to us about her career,
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  Trent is watching, Mount Sinai, and a lot
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  more. Priscilla, can you take a moment to
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  introduce yourself and tell us about your career?
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  Absolutely.
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  It's a pleasure to be conversing with you
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  this morning.
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  My name is Priscilla Samuel. I am a
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  doctorally prepared board certified family nurse practitioner,
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  and I have the absolute privilege of serving
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  as the VP for advanced practice nursing at
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  the Mount Sinai Health System
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  headquartered in New York City. I champion nearly
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  a thousand advanced practice nurses
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  and I co lead our center for advanced
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  practice providers along with my fantastic PA counterpart,
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  helping shape the strategic operational and workforce vision
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  for our APP community.
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  I joined the health system in '22. And
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  since then, our collective focus
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  has been reimagining
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  our APP workforce,
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  strengthening the systems,
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  structures,
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  and governance that allows APPs
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  to function optimally and deliver exceptional patient centered
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  care.
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  And outside of my current role, I also
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  serve as a clinical adjunct
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  professor at Columbia University School of Graduate Nursing,
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  which keeps me connected to the next generation
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  of MP leaders. And on a personal note,
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  outside of my professional life, being a proud
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  wife and mother of three remarkable children is
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  what anchors me, keeps me grounded,
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  and reminds me daily of the humanity at
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  the work at the heart of the work
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  that we do.
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  So that's a little bit about me. Now
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  let me tell you a little bit about
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  our system that I'm honored to serve.
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  Momsa and I, as you know, Scott, has
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  spent nearly two centuries marrying compassionate care with
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  scientific
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  audacity,
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  from world leading research to groundbreaking clinical discoveries
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  to establishing
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  the nation's first AI department in an academic
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  medical center,
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  ours is a system that believes the future
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  of medicine must be both
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  intelligent and ethical. We have over 40,000 employees,
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  over 2,000 APPs
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  anchored by the school of medicine and our
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  exceptional school of nursing,
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  we have built an ecosystem where
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  discovery,
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  education,
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  and compassionate care thrive together.
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  However, my greatest point of pride is that
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  long before the national conversation shifted,
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  Mount Sinai recognized the power and promise of
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  advanced practice providers.
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  APPs are not just seen as clinicians.
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  They are indispensable
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  partners in care,
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  expanding access, elevating quality,
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  and embodying our mission. So being part of
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  Mount Sinai Health System means contributing to a
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  mission
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  bigger and bolder than any one role,
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  and it certainly is a privilege to be
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  part of that story.
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  So so simply remarkable. And and talk for
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  a second, Priscilla, about the trench you're watching
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  with advanced practitioners. As you mentioned, before this
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  became clear where everybody was moving towards,
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  was
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  early on in in in being really all
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  in on advanced practitioners.
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  Is this a solution to sort of the
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  primary care shortage going forward? How do we
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  work with it to really make sure we
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  take care of our nation's populations? And I'll
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  just I'll just say for the audience's sake
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  that you're both assistant vice president at Mount
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  Sinai, I think an associate or professor at
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  Columbia. I mean, what a what a remarkable
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  career. But but tell us about through the
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  trend you're seeing in AP advanced practitioners,
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  and is this what we need to help
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  solve the primary care crisis?
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  Absolutely.
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  So in the APP space,
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  the biggest trend I'm watching is the shift
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  toward
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  true innovation cultures.
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  We're finally moving past the days when
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  good ideas got buried in bureaucracy
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  under
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  cautious botresses, if you will. So forward thinking
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  systems really are creating environments where
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  APPs can test, learn, and lead. And that's
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  unlocking
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  a
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  level of contagious creativity
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  we haven't seen before.
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  The second major trend is the redefinition
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  of the APP workforce itself or the ascendance
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  of the APPs and national data
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  points to the same reality that APPs are
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  no longer supportive clinicians.
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  They are a strategic engine, expanding access,
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  improving throughput,
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  and driving care models that are more nimble,
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  equitable,
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  and responsive
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  to the wider community needs.
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  AI and technology is another big one. For
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  APPs,
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  AI isn't about replacement, it's about elevation.
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  APPs need,
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  what I like to call algorithmic astuteness,
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  knowing how to use technology and AI to
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  anticipate needs,
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  streamline workflows,
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  and make smarter decisions without losing the human
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  judgment that defines our profession.
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  And finally, workforce sustainability is front and center.
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  Burnout is real. It has been the silent
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  pandemic
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  and APPs are asking for more than
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  scheduled tweaks.
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  They, along with other clinicians, want meaningful work,
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  flexibility
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  and the systems that actually support them.
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  So, safe to say, a resilient
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  APP workforce
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  is the foundation
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  of not only a resilient health system
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  but a resilient
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  landscape of health care across our country.
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  But even with all of this momentum,
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  everything ultimately
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  comes back to one
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  unshakable principle, one unassailable
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  truth, which is
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  the patient must remain at the heart of
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  every transformation.
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  So whether we're redesigning APP led care models,
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  integrating technology
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  or digital tools,
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  or rethinking
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  team based practice.
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  The real measure of success is the experience
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  of the person we're serving.
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  Patient
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  centered transformation
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  isn't a trend.
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  It is the North Star guide every that
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  guides everything else.
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  So when I look at the landscape, innovation
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  cultures,
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  empowered APPs,
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  AI supported practice,
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  workforce sustainability,
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  I don't see isolated trends, Scott. I see
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  interconnected
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  forces
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  shaping health care into something more dynamic,
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  more humane,
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  and more prepared for whatever comes next.
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  Thank you very, very much. And, Priscilla, in
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  this quickly changing time
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  and and really the sort of I I
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  saw a stat last year
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  that The US started about 23,000
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  people in med school last year. We we
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  had about 200,000 nurses matriculate.
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  And and and with these differences, it seems
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  so clear
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  that that more and more of the work
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  flow is gonna have to go through advanced
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  practitioners
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  because we're just not creating nearly enough physicians
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  to to keep anywhere near up.
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  What are you most focused on and excited
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  about as you see this development and growth?
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  And and how do we continue
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  to evolve both advanced practitioners to make sure
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  training and education is fantastic,
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  and physicians as well. How do you do
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  those in a Thrive Thrive way?
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  Yeah. And I'll, you know, I I'll just
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  start off by underscoring the point that APPs
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  are part of the solutioning.
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  When I reflect on our journey over the
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  past year, what stands out most is just
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  how transformative this period has been for our
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  health system.
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  We're not changing for the sake of change.
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  We're really moving with purpose
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  guided by clear leadership and a shared vision.
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  And at the heart of this work
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  is our central led framework.
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  And it's important to say this isn't about
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  centralizing control. It's about amplifying
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  capability
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  and scaling pockets of excellence. It's about creating
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  a structure where
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  collaboration feels natural,
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  innovation is encouraged, and accountability is shared. And
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  in that environment,
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  our p APPs are practicing at the very
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  top of their training,
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  delivering care that's high quality,
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  evidence based, financially sound,
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  and deeply responsive to patient needs.
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  And the results have been energizing.
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  We were seeing success across multiple service lines,
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  validating what national experts have been saying for
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  years. APPs aren't just adjunct supporting
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  care. They are driving access, productivity,
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  and the economics of care delivery.
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  They are a true revenue engine and a
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  strategic asset.
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  We've seen firsthand
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  our APPs are delivering some of the strongest
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  access and experience scores in the system.
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  Their impact stories aren't just,
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  feel good moments. They're proof of a workforce
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  that's clinically sharp, operationally
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  agile,
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  and deeply committed to patient centered care.
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  One of the things I'm most proud of
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  is our dramatic reduction in turnover
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  now well below the national average. At a
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  time when burnout is hitting health care everywhere,
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  we've really taken a different path. Engagement is
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  high. Our teams feel supported,
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  and that's not accidental. It is a result
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  of intentional leadership
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  and,
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  culture that understands that when you invest in
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  people,
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  they invest in patients.
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  So what excites me most is the horizon
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  ahead of future where
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  APPs will continue to sit at the center
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  of care redesign,
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  where innovation becomes part of our daily rhythm,
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  and where our system stands as a national
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  exemplar of what's possible
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  when leadership,
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  strategy, and humanity truly align.
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  So we're not just adapting to the future,
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  Scott. We're shaping it. And the last six
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  to eighteen months have really shown us just
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  how powerfully
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  our people, our purpose, and our progress are
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  moving in the same direction.
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  Thank you. And truly remarkable,
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  you've had this magnificent career as a leader,
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  as an advanced practitioner, as a teacher, a
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  professor.
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  Talk for a second about what advice would
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  you give to emerging leaders
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  about either career growth,
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  sustainability,
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  staying passionate,
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  or about just being a leader.
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  What advice do you give?
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  Sure. So it's reflection time.
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  When I think about leadership,
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  I've learned that,
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  it's no longer about holding a position. It's
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  about,
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  holding a purpose. And in health care,
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  where human vulnerability meets scientific possibility and cutting
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  edge innovation,
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  that purpose feels both profound and urgent.
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  One of the most meaningful lessons I've learned
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  is the power of intellectual
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  curiosity.
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  Early in my career, I assumed leaders needed
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  to have all the answers.
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  And over time,
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  I've realized the real magic happens when you
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  create psychological safety, when people feel free to
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  question,
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  to experiment, and even at times to fail.
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  That really creates the environment and conditions where
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  innovation actually can take root.
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  I've also learned that leadership,
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  like health care, is a team sport.
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  The days of clinicians and administrators living in
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  separate worlds don't serve anyone.
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  The most meaningful progress I've seen has come
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  from bridging those silos
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  and weaving together the clinical, the operational,
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  and the human side of care.
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  Another lesson, of course, is around technology.
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  Technology and AI isn't something to fear, but
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  it does require discernment.
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  And so I've learned when to trust it,
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  when to question it, and how to use
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  it responsibly.
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  It's not about replacing judgment.
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  It's about enhancing it.
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  And perhaps
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  the most personal lesson for me has been
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  around the workforce.
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  Burnout, for example, isn't a character flaw. It's
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  not a personal failing. It is a system
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  signal.
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  I've come to understand that flexibility,
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  meaning, and dignity aren't perks and luxuries. They
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  are the foundation of a sustainable health care
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  environment.
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  When we invest in people,
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  they invest in patients.
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  And through all of this, one truth keeps
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  resurfacing.
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  Never lose sight of the patient.
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  Amidst the metrics,
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  the dashboards,
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  leadership is ultimately an act of service,
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  improving
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  the lived experience of individuals and communities.
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  So when I think about what I'd offer
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  to emerging leaders, it's it's really this, stay
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  curious,
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  stay collaborative,
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  stay technologically fluent,
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  stay humane,
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  and stay anchored in purpose.
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  These aren't directives. They are lessons I'm still
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  learning every day.
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  Thank you. Let me ask you another question
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  because you're a lifelong learner. You're you're incredibly
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  an incredible leader.
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  You are an incredibly poised speaker. And just
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  in terms of your comfortable talking about it,
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  did that come naturally to you? Did you
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  have to work on it? Any any thoughts
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  there?
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  Oh, well, thank you, Scott,
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  for your kind words.
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  I I have to say that,
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  one of the
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  axioms that I hold on true to is
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  carpi diem, really seizing the moment, taking every
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  moment to learn, to grow, to reflect.
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  You know, that is fundamental to a good
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  clinician as well, right, to being a reflective
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  practitioner. And and I've applied those principles in
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  my day to day living as well.
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  Right. I I I love that. I wanna
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  thank you, Priscilla, for joining us, on the
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  Becker's Healthcare podcast. What a remarkable career and
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  what remarkable leadership. It's such an important part
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  of health care today. Thank you for joining
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  us. Thank you very much. It's my pleasure.