Clinical Partner Spotlight: Greenwich Hospital

Anna Cerra, DNP, RN, MSN, MSHA, says mentors, preceptors will aid students in post-COVID world

Meet Dr. Anna Cerra

Dr. Anna Cerra is senior vice president and chief nursing officer of Patient Care Services for the magnet-designated Greenwich Hospital, part of the Yale New Haven Health System and an integral partner for our students.

Cerra has a broad range of clinical nursing and health care leadership experience. She is widely recognized for her innovation and success in establishing an environment of excellence and contributing to Greenwich Hospital’s superior clinical outcomes in patient care. Cerra has also successfully applied evidence-based research to promote resilience and help foster spirituality in the nursing workforce internationally. She holds master’s degrees in both health-care administration and nursing, as well as a DNP and post-doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My family immigrated to the US from Italy on Valentine’s Day 1971 when I was 7 years old. As a non-English speaker, the cultural transition was quite a learning experience for me. My Catholic school education in New York City served me well academically and also had a profound impact on me spiritually, in large part thanks to an Italian-speaking nun, Sister Ruth, my first mentor! When my mother was battling a serious illness, I witnessed the profound impact of her attentive and compassionate caregivers. I knew right then that nursing was my calling. Fortunately, with some valuable educational assistance, I was able to pursue my dream of becoming a critical care nurse. In my current role at Greenwich Hospital, I feel blessed to be able to share my experience and give back to help develop our next generation of nurses.   

Please explain your work with the Vatican.

As a result of my research and work involving promoting resiliency and spirituality in the nursing workforce, I was fortunate to be selected to a 12-person international team of nurses who advise 150 Catholic hospitals around the world on evidence-based “best practices.” The Vatican is a key sponsor of this important program.

What are your biggest challenges?

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose significant challenges for all health care providers. In addition to creating large, specialized medical needs, COVID-19 has compounded the critical issue of staff retention at a time when we are seeing many retirements due to the aging workforce. With a nursing staff of more than 600 nurses, workforce development and employee retention are high priorities for Greenwich Hospital. As a result, we are focusing on maintaining an engaged, healthy and productive workforce. Notwithstanding COVID-19, I’m proud to say we’ve had a lot of success by promoting ongoing employee education and professional development, wellness and self-care and employee satisfaction throughout our nursing organization.    

How has the pandemic impacted nursing students’ traditional clinical training at Greenwich Hospital?

Necessary COVID-19 restrictions within most hospitals have had a negative impact on the number of clinical placements and staff resources available for the clinical training of undergraduate nurses during the past two years. Like many other hospitals, we have worked closely with our academic partners to make the best of this challenging situation. I am more than confident that they will each be embraced upon hire, having the right mentors and preceptors, to further gain valuable clinical experience.

What initiatives have you implemented or have planned to help improve the clinical “readiness” of graduating nurses to successfully enter the nursing job market?

We are addressing this situation in two ways. In 2021, in response to the disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, we implemented a novel “Bridge to Professional Practice” program collaboratively with several local nursing schools (including DHCON) to help bolster the actual clinical experience and improve the “readiness” of senior nursing students. The program provided the participants with valuable clinical experience while providing us with an assistive set of hands during a time of crisis. The program, which was overseen by hospital preceptors and college faculty members, comprised 72 hours of clinical experience over a four-week period spanning mid-December to early January and included several DHCON participants. In addition, we continue to partner with our local nursing schools to hire the students who participated in our BPP program, as per diems, to add to their valuable experience here at Greenwich Hospital. We have opened and recruited 23 positions to date. This will further enhance their clinical experience. A win-win for us all.

In addition, we refined and expanded our Nurse Residency Program, which now includes a 3-month, unit-based orientation followed by nine monthly classroom sessions consisting of didactic and simulation hours.

What advice would you give to our students to help them become successful nurses?

Many of today’s young people tend to be impatient and impulsive; they need to understand it takes time and hard work to successfully develop one’s career. My advice to aspiring nurses is simple: Remember, humility is a virtue. Be humble. Be open to constructive feedback…I call it the “gift” of feedback. Be patient and know when and where to ask for help. Have a positive attitude, smile and find joy in your work. Embrace teamwork...be a team player! I also want to stress the value of identifying and cultivating mentors, like Sister Ruth in my case, as well as the importance of continuous learning.

Photo by ChiChi Ubiña / Fairfield Look Magazine