ACNL in Action: Lessons in Nursing Leadership

Hosted by The Association of California Nurse Leaders

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May 2026

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About the show

ACNL in Action is the podcast for anyone who wants to learn more about nursing, leadership, and everything in between. Host Charlene Platon talks to healthcare leaders from the bedside to the boardroom, in service and academia, to get their perspective on issues facing nurses. Visit https://www.acnl.org to learn more.

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60 recent

May 1, 202627 min

How to Build a Culture Nurses Don't Want to Leave

Nurse turnover is one of the most persistent challenges in healthcare leadership, and one of the clearest signals an organization sends about its culture. So how do you build a culture nurses don't want to leave? In this episode, Charlene talks with Cheryl Reinking, Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health, which recently earned its fifth Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, placing it among fewer than 2% of hospitals nationwide. Cheryl has spent nearly four decades at El Camino, and she walks through what 20 years of sustained Magnet excellence actually looks like at the manager and frontline level, including how the organization brought its post-COVID turnover rate from a peak of 12.7% back below 5%. We also get into the business case: how Cheryl uses her hospital foundation to fund retention pilots, what she puts in an ROI plan, and what kinds of recognition actually move the needle versus the kinds that don't. What's covered: (00:58) What it takes to sustain Magnet designation over 20 years (02:59) What Magnet looks like in practice at the manager and frontline level (07:30) A nurse manager's typical Tuesday morning at El Camino (09:25) Software platforms and the role of a dedicated nurse retention specialist (14:00) How El Camino brought turnover back below 5% after the pandemic (17:15) Building the business case for retention investments (21:18) Recognition that moves the needle vs. recognition that doesn't (23:30) What Cheryl wishes she'd known earlier about retention Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (@charleneplaton) Guest: Cheryl Reinking, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM — Chief Nursing Officer, El Camino Health https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylreinking/ About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at acnl.org. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

April 3, 202634 min

APRNs Are Ready to Fill the Gaps. Are Health Systems Ready for Them?

Advanced practice nurses are trained to fill critical gaps in care, from rural surgery to behavioral health to primary care. But many health systems don't fully understand what APRNs can do, where they can practice, or how to support them effectively. In this episode, Charlene talks with Surani Hayre-Kwan, Sheree Scott, and Elizabeth Pulatie, three advanced practice nurses from across different specialties. They talk about what APRNs actually do, the barriers limiting their practice, what's in the legislative pipeline, and what nurse leaders can do right now to better support their APRN colleagues. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guests: Surani Hayre-Kwan, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, FACHE, FAANP Sheree Scott, PhD, RN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN Elizabeth Pulatie, DHA, MSN, BSN, CRNA About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

March 6, 202635 min

AI Won’t Replace Nurses, But It Will Change Their Work w/Nerissa Ambers & Carlene Lugtu

Artificial intelligence is already changing nursing workflows, but many healthcare systems are making decisions without nursing leadership at the table. In this episode, Charlene talks with Nerissa Ambers and Carlene Lugtu, Director and Manager, respectively, of the Health Informatics Transformation Team at Stanford Medicine. They talk about why nursing leadership matters in the AI space and how nurses can help shape technology that supports patient care. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guests: Nerissa Ambers (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerissa-ambers-0510486/) Carlene Lugtu MCiM, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlene-lugtu/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

February 6, 202632 min

LGBTQ+ Health Equity 101 w/Shannon Whittington

Charlene talks with Dr. Shannon Whittington, a nurse consultant and LGBTQ+ expert who helps educate healthcare organizations to better understand their patients and employees. They discuss some of the invisible barriers to healthcare that LGBTQ+ folks face, how lack of LGBTQ+ competence on the part of healthcare workers can affect patient trust, disclosure, and ultimately health outcomes, and what nurse leaders can do to create healthy environments for LGBTQ+ patients and staff. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guest: Dr. Shannon Whittington, DNP, MSN, RN, CCM (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonwhittington/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

December 30, 202529 min

The Biggest Healthcare Legislation in 2025 w/Surani Hayre-Kwan & Alice Martanegara

Charlene talks with Drs. Surani Hayre-Kwan and Alice Martanegara, members of ACNL's Health Policy Committee. They've been following all the most important healthcare legislation this year, both at the state level in California as well as nationally, and to give an update on what's been happening and what to keep an eye on in 2026. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guests: Surani Hayre-Kwan, DNP, MBA, FNP-BC, FAANP, FACHE (https://www.suranihayrekwan.com/) Alice Martanegara, DNP, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-martanegara-3b586216/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

November 7, 202545 min

Gun Safety in Healthcare w/Jessica Cheverie & Mark Reed

Charlene talks with Jessica Cheverie, MSN, RN, and Mark Reed, MBA, CHPA. Jessica is Director of Clinical Services at TRL Systems, a leading fire and life safety and security systems integrator in Southern California. Mark is Executive Director of Campus Support Operations at City of Hope, responsible for the planning, direction, and coordination of support activities, including security, all throughout the hospital campus. Mark was previously the Senior Manager of Enterprise Security Operations at City of Hope. Jessica and Mark are both uniquely knowledgeable about hospital security operations, making them the perfect people to talk to about the different facets of gun safety in healthcare settings. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guests: Jessica Cheverie, MSN, RN (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicacheverie/) Mark Reed, MBA, CHPA (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-t-reed/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

October 3, 202531 min

The Nursing Leadership Pipeline w/Kat Ascensio-Holmes

Charlene talks with Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA, Chief Nursing Officer for Sutter Health. Kat is responsible for executive nursing leadership and workforce development for over 16,000 nurses throughout Sutter's dozens of hospitals and clinics, making her the perfect person to talk to about workforce development and the leadership pipeline. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠⁠) Guest: Kat Ascencio-Holmes RN, CNOR, BSN, MHA (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-ascencio-holmes-rn-cnor-bsn-mha-62a679139/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

September 5, 202531 min

Revitalizing Rural Nursing w/Nikaella Mariano

Charlene talks with Nikaella Mariano, a nursing student at the University of San Francisco, who recently presented at ACNL’s annual conference on strategies for revitalizing rural nursing. Nikaella is here to talk about the situation with rural nursing, why this topic is so important to our communities, and how we might improve things. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠⁠) Guest: Nikaella Mariano About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

August 1, 2025Episode 832 min

Your Story Matters w/Shiloh Williams

Charlene talks with Dr. Shiloh Williams, Assistant Professor at San Diego State University School of Nursing and National Rural Health Association Fellow. Dr. Williams shares her journey from bedside nursing to health policy advocacy, sparked by her frustration with repeatedly putting "band-aids" on systemic healthcare problems in her rural community. She discusses how she overcame the intimidation of health policy by joining ACNL's Health Policy Committee and attending policy meetings in Washington, D.C. Charlene and Dr. Williams explore why nurses' voices and patient stories are crucial in policy decisions, how different nursing roles prepare professionals for advocacy work, and practical ways nurses can get involved in health policy at local, state, and national levels. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠⁠@charleneplaton⁠⁠) Guest: Shiloh Williams, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CNE (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shiloh-williams-4b903b7b/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠⁠acnl.org⁠⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.

July 4, 202535 min

Succession Planning w/Molly Rodriguez

Charlene talks with Molly Rodriguez, Senior Program Manager at Stanford Health Care. Molly recently presented at the ACNL Annual Conference in February on a succession planning tool she and her team developed to identify future leaders. The assessment tool was designed to be able to be completed in just ten minutes and could serve as a model for other organizations looking to improve their own succession planning. Charlene and Molly talk about why succession planning matters, how to identify future nurse leaders, and Molly's advice for other organizations. Host: Charlene Platon, MS, RN, FNP-BC (⁠@charleneplaton⁠) Guest: Molly Rodriguez, DNP, RN, CNS, AGCNS-BC, Caritas Coach© (https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-rodriguez-dnp-rn-cns-agcns-bc-caritas-coach%C2%A9-164955237/) About the show: ACNL in Action is a production of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, the professional organization for nurse leaders. New episodes come out on the first Friday of every month. Want to support ACNL? Consider making a donation: ⁠https://www.acnl.org/circleofgiving⁠. Learn more about ACNL, including how to become a member, at ⁠acnl.org⁠. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @acnlnurse.