Melissa Fitzpatrick - Rewards of a Nursing Career

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Melissa Fitzpatrick is a seasoned healthcare and nursing professional with decades of experience. She became an RN (Registered Nurse) in 1977 and, since then, she has built a strong reputation as a leader. Her roles have included Senior Associate Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nurse Executive at Duke University Medical Center, Vice President of Critical Care and Cardiac Services for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Editor-in-Chief for the Nursing Management Journal in addition to key leadership roles in national nursing associations and industry.

Those who follow in the footsteps of nursing leaders such as Melissa Fitzpatrick will be rewarded for their dedication to their career with many intangible but meaningful elements such as:

• Flexibility – Nursing offers myriad scheduling options, workplace environments and teams to join. Nursing allows one to work in a way that balances work and life demands and that at the same time provides unending opportunities to make a difference. The flexibility of nursing spans the entire continuum of care and enables nurses to serve at all levels of the profession.
• Meaningful Work – Nursing benefits extend beyond personal schedule and preferences into the opportunity to make a difference for patients and families at all points in their lives. Nurses are privileged to help people in times of emotional, physical and spiritual distress. These moments can be among the most intimate and vulnerable in life and nurses are there every step of the way.
• Compassionate Competence – Nurses remain the only members of the healthcare team who are with patients and families 24/7/365. Nurses provide competent compassion and care in the middle of the night, on weekends and holidays and at great personal sacrifice to those that they serve. Nursing is a calling and a privilege and we’ve never needed nurses more than we do today. Nurses understand how precious life is, and how much each moment of it should be valued. Nursing creates grateful people that learn love, peace and compassion through their daily duties.

Nursing has many intangible rewards, with none being greater than knowing that you made a difference in the life of someone else. If you are considering nursing as a profession, speak with a professional such as Melissa Fitzpatrick for a real-life look at what the profession offers. This will help you judge whether or not nursing is right for you.

Melissa Fitzpatrick - Tips for Staying Healthy and Out of the Hospital

Melissa Fitzpatrick is a dedicated nurse leader who has always tried to enhance patient care delivery and nursing satisfaction and excellence in all of her roles. She received her Associate’s degree in Nursing from Gwynedd Mercy College in 1977 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the same institution two years later. Melissa graduated Cum Laude with her Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984 and immediately assumed roles of increasing complexity and responsibility from Nurse Manager to Clinical Nurse Specialist in Philadelphia. Her career took her to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and then to Duke University Medical Center before leading industry initiatives at SAS Institute and at Hill-Rom. She is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fitzpatrick and Associates, a healthcare consulting firm based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

In all of her roles, Melissa has used her knowledge and resources to educate patients, families and communities so that they can enhance their health and prevent illness and injury.  Keeping patients out of the hospital has become an important goal for our healthcare delivery systems and is essential to managing chronicity and decreasing the cost of healthcare delivery which has skyrocketed over the years.

Here are some tips that will keep you healthy.

Preventive health care and wellness are becoming more of a focus as we try to avert illness and injury. Assuring that our neighbors have vaccinations, screening mammography and colonoscopy and regular dental and physical check-ups is essential to elevating the health of our nation.   Managing chronic illness, medications, nutrition and exercise are not new thoughts but certainly more important than ever.  The epidemic of morbid obesity in the US is having an alarming negative impact across all age groups and increasing the risk of such diseases as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.  It is essential that we start education at the earliest moment…prenatally….so that we give everyone the chance at the healthiest start to life.  Then, our schools and communities need to do their part to assure adequate and healthy nutrition throughout the school day with exercise and physical activity to go with it.

Helping families to make the time for activity together is fun and effective!  Getting everyone involved in walking, biking, swimming and managing food portions is a key to healthful living.  Nurses are at the center of this essential community education and are the key to role modeling healthful living.

Melissa Fitzpatrick - Thriving in Chaos

Melissa Fitzpatrick is a healthcare executive who has been a registered nurse since 1977 and has dedicated her career to elevating the profession of nursing and patient and family centered care.  She has held a variety of leadership roles in Academic Medical Centers, in Industry and in professional nursing organizations and has seen the industry face many challenges in the face of rapid change and chaos.



Thriving in chaos requires elegance, dignity, quick thinking and great instincts.  Whether in the ICU, Emergency Department or executive suite, results depend on the leader’s ability to process information quickly, to manage competing demands and ambiguity and to stay focused on the goals at hand.  Minimizing chaos by limiting noise, distraction and inappropriate behavior is essential in order for the team to work effectively.  Having a plan in place and assuring that everyone is aware of the roles, goals and desired outcomes to achieve success is essential.  Practicing that plan in an ongoing manner and doing ‘mock disaster drills’ helps to assure that team members are ready in the event of an actual disaster or emergency. 

Being the calm in the eye of the storm is the role of the leader in a chaotic or emergency situation.  If the leader is demonstrating stress behaviors, communicating poorly or acting inappropriately, this will quickly affect the team’s morale and performance. Delegating effectively and optimizing the use of all resources is key so that no one resource is over extended or under-utilized.  Assuring that you and your team are rested, well-nourished and supported emotionally through the crisis will enable the best outcomes.  We do not execute our plans as well when we are hungry and have had no escape from the situation for hours on end.  Tending to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a great rule of thumb.

Once the crisis has been averted, leading a team debrief and assessing what went well and what did not go well will assure success the next time. 

Melissa Fitzpatrick - Caring for Patients and Families

Melissa Fitzpatrick has always wanted to serve in a professional career that helps others, especially those at the most vulnerable times of their lives in the critical care arena. She chose a career as a nurse because she had a talent for working with others and was able to perform in highly stressful situations. She is also a natural leader who brought a wide range of clinical, teamwork and communication skills to every role. She has been a registered nurse since 1977obtaining an Associate’s degree, Bachelor of Science degree, and Master’s degree in nursing. She has worked tirelessly for the sake of those that she serves including patients, families and fellow caregivers and leaders.

 As a nurse for almost forty years, Melissa Fitzpatrick understands the complexities of patient care delivery and the many dynamics at play in the care environment.  Her goal has always been to be the advocate for patients and families and to assure that their multi-dimensional needs are met.  In the critical care setting, nurses are often the voice for the patient and must be supported in their ability to be a strong patient advocate.

Providing compassionate and competent care is the essence of nursing care.  One without the other is not enough.  The nurse is the only professional with the patient 24/7 and that is a great privilege that holds tremendous responsibility.  Nursing presence and vigilance have a positive impact on patient outcomes and the patient’s experience.  Nurses have an essential role to play in assuring that the patient’s needs are met and that the experience is as patient/family centered as possible.  As patients and families have more choice in their care delivery systems, they will rely more and more on the essence of nursing care to make the difference in their outcomes and satisfaction.