Nurse leadership not only plays an important role in a nurse’s career, but in all aspects of patient care. Having a great leader can impact the amount of resources and support that a nurse receives, allowing for better patient care, nurse satisfaction, and overall retention.
Ben Farber, Eisenhower Health’s Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer recently sat down to discuss his background, his vision for the hospital’s nursing team, and why Eisenhower Health is such a great place to work.
Ben Farber’s Background & Leadership Style
Why did you choose a career in nursing?
I always thought I would be in healthcare. My whole family on my dad’s side is in healthcare, so it was what I grew up around.
My first degree was in Phys Ed and Kinesiology. At the time I thought I might go to medical school or PT school. Then my mom ended up in the hospital for a brief period and I met several of the nurses and I thought, “maybe this is where I’m supposed to be.” So I went back to nursing school.
How did you get into nurse leadership?
When I went to nursing school, my whole goal was to bring a smile to somebody’s face. I started off my bedside journey working in oncology. Eventually I worked as a charge nurse, I worked as a house supervisor, and I worked as a nurse manager. What I learned as I started transitioning into leadership roles is that I was able to impact a lot more patients’ lives through impacting the nurses that cared for them.
But my purpose was still the same, to keep a smile on somebody’s face every day, so that has always been purposeful because that was my ‘why’ to go into nursing.
How would you describe your leadership style?
My style is a cross between servant leadership and transformational leadership. I’m really good at pushing a bus from point A to point B. I need my team to be on that bus to steer it, and they all need to steer it in the same direction, and decide how we’re going to steer it.
We need all the people who are taking care of patients working together in order to have a great plan to get where we’re going. My team is closer to the bedside, so I lean on them to determine the direction for how we get there. They work with their teams to make sure that we have a solution that everybody can live with and that everyone has bought into.
I want to leave places better than when I came in. Regardless of where I am, I just want someone to feel better than before I had the opportunity to be in their space.
Patient-Centered Care
What is your number one goal at Eisenhower Health?
Patients live at the center of the leadership team’s world. My number one goal is to develop a full team of Eisenhower Health nurses and ancillary team members who are prioritizing patient care, ensuring that we are keeping patients at the center of everything that we do.
What are some of the ways that you create patient-centered care?
The resources that we need to take care of patients and to take care of our caregivers are prioritized.
I do everything I can to ensure that caregivers have a voice at the table and are part of the solution. This is something that Eisenhower Health has done exceedingly well for many years, so I get to support what’s already in place here.
A Culture of Positivity and Support
What makes Eisenhower Health special?
The culture here is tangible. And that’s a culture of positivity and support, and patient-centered care.
Nurses are well-supported, both physically and mentally. They’re supported in decisions that they have to make, where they have someone to talk to. They have collaborative relationships with the rest of the care team: the respiratory therapist, the rad techs, the physicians, the CNAs. We do everything we can to make sure that they have the support that they need to properly care for patients, whether that’s equipment, supplies, staffing, or ancillary staffing.
And they’ll have a really strong leader to guide them through their career, whether they’re a brand new nurse or a 15-year nurse who’s shifting positions or looking for growth.
Working at Eisenhower Health as a nurse means that you’re going to be supported.
Working and Living in the Coachella Valley
What should potential candidates know about working and living in the Coachella Valley? In the Coachella Valley, we’re really fortunate, because we’re surrounded by mountains, so we have incredible hiking trails, and incredible opportunities to be surrounded by nature every day. It’s so incredibly beautiful.
Living here is the best of both worlds. You feel like you live in a really small place, but you have access to world-class amenities all around you. Shopping here is world-class. Dining here is world-class. The outdoor activities here are really unmatched. There’s something to do every day.
We’re in Southern California, which is so much more ecologically diverse than people realize. You can be at the ocean in two hours, you can be in the mountains or forest in an hour and in December you can be in the snow in an hour.
Can you tell us about the people who live here?
The people out here are really pleasant and welcoming. You meet people from all over the world who have decided to make the Coachella Valley home, so you’re in a really culturally diverse area.
No matter what you’re looking for any day of the week, you’re probably going to meet somebody that has really good knowledge of that and is going to be able to point you in the right direction.
The Future of Eisenhower Health
What do you see as the future of Eisenhower Health?
Eisenhower Health has experienced very rapid growth over the last ten or fifteen years. In the time that I’ve been here, I’ve seen our family birth center grow–it was a brand new service line when I started. We’ve also seen a trauma center arrive, and I anticipate that this growth pattern will continue and we’ll see all kinds of future programs.
We’ll also see Eisenhower Health continue to stay on the forefront of technology to make sure that we’re providing world-class care to the Coachella Valley.
A Nursing Career at Eisenhower Health
What would you say to a nurse who’s looking for the next step in their career?
This is a really special place to work. It’s got a tangible culture of positivity and support and it’s a great place to practice as a nurse. It’s also a Magnet organization where nurses have a voice into the decisions made for their practice at the bedside.
Nurses have the opportunity to work with a team of people who genuinely love what they do and love working here. If you’re the right fit, you’re going to have a phenomenal career working for Eisenhower Health.
Applying for Nursing Jobs at Eisenhower Health
If you’re looking for the next step in your nursing career, visit our careers site and apply for RN and ancillary roles today at Eisenhower Health. We offer a generous benefits package, a healthy work-life balance, as well as everything the Coachella Valley has available, including world-class dining, shopping, wellness amenities, and outdoor activities.
Originally posted on 7/3/2023