Women In Wellness: Dr. Laura Robbins-Frank Of National Louis University’s Undergraduate College of Nursing On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Effective Communication is Vital: Good communication is at the core of nursing. I used to be very shy and afraid to speak up until I had an experience that taught me that if I didn’t say something, a patient could be harmed. That experience helped me to learn how to communicate clearly and empathetically and, ultimately, become a strong advocate for my patients. This is a critical skill.
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Robbins-Frank.
Laura Robbins-Frank PhD is currently the Founding Director of National Louis University’s new Undergraduate College of Nursing. In 2022, Robbins-Frank earned a Ph.D. in Nursing from Loyola University in Chicago after receiving her Neonatal Nurse Practitioner degree in 1998 from Rush University, her Master in Science of Nursing from Loyola University Chicago in 1993, and her Bachelor in Science of Nursing from Loyola University Chicago in 1985. Throughout her career, Robbins-Frank has dedicated herself to the wellbeing of her patients, bolstering the ability and resilience of her students, and shoring up our nation’s critical nursing shortage.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I have devoted 38 years to my career as a nurse, yet my journey began with a different path in mind. Initially, I aspired to follow in the footsteps of my mother and grandmother and become a teacher. However, life took an unexpected turn when I was just eight years old, as my youngest sister was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. She was the youngest of six children, and I was the second oldest. Over the next 10-plus years, she bravely battled the disease. During this time, our family was fortunate to be supported by exceptional nurses and doctors who cared not only for my sister but for our entire family.
In those challenging days, when my sister’s health was most fragile, and near the end of her life, the dedication of the healthcare providers left an indelible mark on me. I watched in awe as nurses and her primary oncologist made house calls on their own time, without compensation, to provide comfort to my sister and assistance with her care to my parents. Witnessing their unwavering commitment to our family’s well-being was truly inspirational.
It wasn’t until my senior year in high school, a time when I had initially planned to take easier courses, that I met with a nursing recruiter who had actually been one of my sister’s nurses. Our conversation, combined with my reflections on the compassionate care my sister had received, ignited a spark within me to pursue a career in nursing. On that day, I made a pivotal decision, abandoning my “easy courses” and enrolling in Anatomy, Physiology and Chemistry, recognizing their importance as foundational courses. This set me on the path down my nursing journey, which began at Loyola University Chicago, where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in 1985. This milestone came three years after my sister’s untimely passing at the age of 10 ½.
I embarked on my nursing career in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and over the next sixteen years, I gained invaluable experience working in both the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU). During this time, I felt a calling to further my education and returned to school to earn my master’s degree in nursing, with a specialization as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. Subsequently, I worked as a Peds/Neo clinical nurse specialist for several years before pursuing additional education to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) through a post-master’s certification program.
During my master’s program, I had the privilege of teaching undergraduate nursing students in clinical settings, and the experience, coupled with my role as a preceptor for new nurses in the NICU, ignited a passion for teaching. In 1990, I began teaching as an adjunct professor, and in 2005, I made the transition to full-time teaching. It has been a fulfilling journey, and I am dedicated to shaping the next generation of nurses who will care for my family and me. I often tell my students that I hope to look them up one day and express my gratitude, knowing that my family and others will receive exceptional care from the nurses they will become.
As my own children approached the end of their academic journeys, I decided to embark on another educational chapter by pursuing my Ph.D. I set a personal goal to complete my doctoral program before turning 60, and I achieved that goal with just six months to spare. As a nurse educator — currently working to launch an undergraduate nursing program at National Louis University in Chicago — my passion is fueled by exploring innovative and effective methods to engage and educate students as they prepare for their careers as professional nurses.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the wedding of a young woman I had the honor of caring for 35 years ago. It was during the early stages of my career when she came into this world as a premature infant, bravely fighting for her life. For over six months, I was there to support her and her family, forging a deep bond that has endured throughout the decades.
Witnessing her journey from fragile infancy to the threshold of adulthood was an extraordinary experience. It reinforced a profound lesson that I now impart to my students: the profound impact healthcare professionals can have on their patients and their families. This journey taught me the vital importance of being consistently authentic and genuinely empathetic in every interaction and point of care provided to each patient.
Throughout my 38-year career, I’ve had the privilege of caring for numerous vulnerable children, and I hope that, in some small way, I’ve made a positive contribution to each of their lives. This remarkable journey has reinforced the belief that healthcare is not just about treating symptoms but also about providing comfort, compassion, and understanding to those who entrust us with their care and why nursing has been the most trusted profession for the past 21 years, according to Gallup.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One morning, in the bustling environment of the NICU, while working with patients, a dear friend and colleague was updating me about a patient I had cared for the previous day. As we conversed, our discussion shifted toward the upcoming weekend instead of the critical, minute details of the patient’s condition.
Approximately 45 minutes into my shift, while meticulously cross-referencing medical orders with the intravenous (IV) fluids hanging nearby, a chill of horror coursed through me as I made a shocking discovery. It became painfully evident that the wrong IV fluids were being administered and, to my dismay, that I had inadvertently overseen this error for a significant portion of my shift.
Though I had not hung the incorrect fluids myself, I felt the weight of responsibility for those critical 45 minutes. Fortunately, no harm befell the patient, but the incident shook me to my very core. It served as a pivotal moment in my career, marking a turning point. From that day forward, I have remained steadfast in my commitment to never commit another medication error. God willing, I never will.
This experience left me with a profound lesson in nursing — never to compromise the quality of care. I often recount this story to my students, for it carries several vital lessons. Firstly, it emphasizes the fact that we are all human, and no one, regardless of experience or expertise, is immune to making mistakes. Most importantly, it underscores the importance of immediate accountability when errors occur and the unwavering commitment to learning from our mistakes, ensuring they are never repeated.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
The nation currently grapples with a critical healthcare worker shortage, particularly in the field of nursing. Alarming statistics from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, drawing from Bureau of Labor Statistics data, indicate a staggering projection of 203,200 annual job openings for nurses, a deficit that is expected to persist through 2031. In addition, the Baby Boomer nursing generation is retiring sooner than originally planned, adding to the looming shortage. As a result, our healthcare system finds itself in dire need of more than 200,000 nurses to adequately care for the growing number of patients. This predicament has indeed evolved into a full-blown national healthcare crisis.
The crux of the solution to this looming crisis lies in the imperative need to bolster nursing education enrollments and graduate more qualified nurses. However, a significant impediment to expanding the capacity of nursing programs is the glaring shortage of nursing faculty, creating a critical bottleneck in the process.
One viable strategy to bridge this gap and mitigate the crisis involves establishing pre-licensure nursing programs, which can serve as a pivotal step in educating a larger cohort of aspiring nurses. While it is acknowledged that no single program can entirely resolve the pressing nursing shortage, creating such programs represents a commendable endeavor that, over time, will contribute to alleviating the deficit and ensuring a brighter future for our healthcare system.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing?
To effectively combat the nursing shortage, it is imperative that we focus on the expansion of nursing education. However, the daunting reality of nursing school, characterized by its rigorous demands, is highlighted by the staggering annual attrition rate of 20%, as reported by the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses Association. This disheartening statistic underscores the urgency of providing enhanced support to nursing students in their journey toward successful graduation.
In my endeavor to contribute to this cause, I propose implementing a series of “lifestyle tweaks” tailored to nursing students, aimed at fortifying their resolve to persist through a challenging nursing program:
1. Early Admission of Struggles: It is essential for students to acknowledge and address their academic challenges promptly. Procrastination can be detrimental, so seeking assistance early is a proactive approach to prevent minor setbacks from becoming insurmountable obstacles.
2. Strength in Seeking Help: Students should recognize that seeking help is not a sign of weakness but a manifestation of strength. Admitting one’s need for support and guidance is a vital step towards academic success.
3. Building a Support Network: The arduous academic journey of nursing students necessitates a strong support network. Identifying individuals who can offer guidance, encouragement, and emotional support is invaluable. The journey is long and filled with hurdles, and having a network of supporters is invaluable.
4. Emphasizing Critical Thinking: Nursing students must grasp the paramount importance of critical thinking. Mere memorization is insufficient; understanding the vast array of information and the ability to apply it in real-life clinical settings are crucial for success.
5. Recognizing the Value of Reading: Reading assignments should not be perceived as busy work; they lay the foundation for critical thinking and clinical judgment. Students should realize that these readings provide the knowledge base from which they can draw when making clinical decisions.
By instilling these “lifestyle tweaks” within the nursing student community, we can better equip them to navigate the challenges of their academic journey and, in turn, bolster the collective effort to address the nursing shortage.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
The wellness movement I would start for nursing students and other college-age individuals is resilience and mindfulness training. Over the years of educating young adults, I’ve noticed a decline in their resilience. They seem to carry more emotional baggage and struggle to deal with it effectively. I recently came across a blog that supported my observations, indicating that research on the 18–30 age group shows a decrease in resilience. The causes appear to be multifaceted, including factors such as helicopter parenting and increased screen time.
Helicopter parents, who are overly cautious and tend to solve all their children’s problems for them, inadvertently prevent their children from learning crucial coping and problem-solving skills. These skills are essential for navigating the challenges of the adult world. Additionally, excessive screen time means that young individuals spend a disproportionate amount of time in a virtual reality that doesn’t mirror the real world. This can lead to rewired neural connections in young minds, resulting in inadequate coping and problem-solving abilities.
This lack of resilience in terms of coping and problem-solving skills appears to be contributing to higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among young adults. A research study conducted by the Global Resilience Institute supports these ideas and highlights that today’s society often views difficulties and challenges as unacceptable, pushing for immediate change. This diminished resilience is affecting students’ ability to cope with the stresses of academic life on college campuses, ultimately contributing to higher attrition rates. When things get tough, students are too likely to give up.
As educators, part of our responsibility is to support students and help them succeed. However, if they lack the emotional skills of resilience, this can be exceptionally challenging. Teaching resilience through mindfulness is one promising approach to address this issue. Introducing mindfulness and resiliency skills during college orientations and weaving them throughout first-year success seminars and the entire curriculum can better prepare students for the world they’ll face after graduation. It can equip them with the necessary skills to effectively cope with the challenges of their future.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. Self-Care is a Priority: Nursing can be emotionally and physically demanding. It’s crucial to prioritize self-care to prevent burnout. This means taking breaks, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and seeking support when needed. It’s important to remember that we can’t provide the best care to our patients if we’re not taking care of ourselves. Throughout my many years at the bedside, before moving into academia, I would work overtime because I never wanted to leave the next shift short-handed. While the extra money was nice, the impact on my physical and emotional well-being was not so nice.
2. Having an Attitude of Inquiry: Medicine and healthcare are constantly evolving. Staying committed to lifelong learning by attending workshops and conferences, taking additional courses, completing continuous education credits and keeping up with the latest research fosters the attitude of inquiry that will keep patients safe and receiving the latest, evidence-based care.
3. Effective Communication is Vital: Good communication is at the core of nursing. I used to be very shy and afraid to speak up until I had an experience that taught me that if I didn’t say something, a patient could be harmed. That experience helped me to learn how to communicate clearly and empathetically and, ultimately, become a strong advocate for my patients. This is a critical skill.
4. Dealing with Stress and Emotions: Nursing can be emotionally taxing, especially when dealing with patient suffering and loss. It’s essential to develop healthy coping mechanisms and seek emotional support when needed. I learned over time that it is appropriate to cry with families when they receive bad news or when their loved one dies. It shows our compassion, empathy and humanism. I have received many notes from families thanking me for this aspect of the care I provided to them. However, in the same vein, it is still important to consider self-care and recognize that many hospitals offer counseling services for staff. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help.
5. Teamwork is Eessential: Nursing is a team effort. It is so very important to collaborate with colleagues, respect their expertise and be a team player. A nurse cannot and should not try to do everything by themselves. A harmonious healthcare team is more efficient and better at providing patient care. Building strong relationships with coworkers will also make our work more enjoyable. I have developed so many strong friendships amongst my nursing colleagues — some of which have spanned across decades — that I treasure to this day.
All that considered, nursing is a highly rewarding profession in which we have the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives every day.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health, particularly mental well-being and resilience, holds paramount significance in my current work. In the context of healthcare, it is essential that nurses prioritize self-care to effectively provide patient care. While the spotlight often falls on nursing burnout — largely attributed to the ongoing pandemic — we must also acknowledge the unintended ramifications of the pandemic and the nursing shortage crisis. This crisis compounds the challenges that nurses face, as they are expected to deliver more with fewer resources, exacting a toll on their mental health and physical well-being.
Tragically, we recently lost a young nurse, a professional of just six years, who penned a poignant farewell, identifying her abuser as the American healthcare system. In her heartbreaking note, she bared her soul, expressing how she had dedicated her heart, body, and mind to the profession, giving countless hours and unwavering dedication. She drew attention to the issues plaguing the nursing community: staffing shortages, assaults on healthcare workers, inequitable compensation, and the overwhelming stress and burden placed upon nurses. This incident serves as a somber reminder that the pandemic has had unintended consequences, and it is a wake-up call to address the well-being of nurses.
As a nurse educator, I’ve observed that with each passing academic term, students arrive bearing ever-increasing emotional baggage, rendering them emotionally and mentally drained, making it challenging for them to allocate the necessary time and energy to their studies. This has contributed to a disheartening 20% attrition rate nationwide. Furthermore, when burnout occurs during nursing school, it often prompts students to exit the profession within their first year of practice. Studies have indicated that up to 33% of new nurses leave their jobs within the initial year, and an alarming 56% leave within the second year. It is evident that without more robust support for frontline nurses, the current nursing shortage will only exacerbate, ultimately depriving patients of the essential care they deserve.
We have a profound responsibility to address the issue of nursing burnout within nursing degree programs. Ensuring that students have access to robust support systems from the outset is essential in fostering their resilience and mitigating the risk of them one day leaving the profession.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
School Website
Personal LinkedIn page
www.linkedin.com/in/laura-robbins-frank-1735771b9
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com.
