Leila Ibushi-Thompson
Episode 153

Narrator: Welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira with his guest today and discover the moments that shape us, our families and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. I am at Adventist Health White Memorial in downtown East LA, which is very exciting. I'm looking at this guest who's sitting across me, and they're smiling from left ear to right ear, like right across their face. They're very excited about this, so I'm going to begin in a second. We'll ask a few questions. Then they get to pick between 11 and 100 where they want to go. And these questions really unpack stories and experiences that shape them into the leader that they are today. So I'm going to begin with the first 10. Can I ask you your name and does anybody ever mispronounce it?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: What? Yes.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: My name is Leila Ibushi-Thompson.

Japhet De Oliveira: Leila Ibushi-Thompson.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Say that again.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Leila Ibushi-Thompson.

Japhet De Oliveira: Ibushi-Thompson. Ibushi-Thompson. That's beautiful. Leila, brilliant. Layla, like Eric Clapton kind of?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Kind of spelled differently.

Japhet De Oliveira: Spelled differently. All right, so they mispronounce it. Which part? All of it?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: All of it. I've been called Leili Ibushy.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, that's good.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Most of my childhood.

Japhet De Oliveira: Great. Well, lucky you. So Leila, what do you do for work?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'm a nurse.

Japhet De Oliveira: You're a nurse?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: What kind of nurse?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'm the patient care executive.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, patient care executive. That's like a chief nursing officer, right?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: But inside this system, it's patient care executive?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. So you take care of nurses and all the work that they do with all the patients?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. What part of that do you like?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I love nursing, so I like the part where I get to be the advocate for nurses and the clinical practice of nursing.

Japhet De Oliveira: Have you been a nurse long yourself?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 20 years this year.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh really? Congratulations. That's great.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: What pulled you into nursing?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I've been in healthcare my whole life.

Japhet De Oliveira: Really? From birth?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: My first job was in a physician's office.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, really?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah, at 15 I was a file clerk.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, really?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow, that's fantastic. So this is a passion of yours?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes. I think that's where I gained my passion for wanting to be in healthcare.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sorry, as a file clerk?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes. I worked with-

Japhet De Oliveira: Moving files around you gained your passion for healthcare.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I worked with a physician. His name was Dr. Jeffrey Richardson. And he inspired me to go into nursing.

Japhet De Oliveira: Really?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: And then when I was looking into what type of nursing, he encouraged me to go into intensive care unit.

Japhet De Oliveira: Really?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Now does he know this?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's fantastic. Well, that's really good. So Leila, where were you born?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I was born in Westminster, California.

Japhet De Oliveira: Really? Okay. All right. And did you grow up there?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I grew up in Orange County until fifth grade, and then I moved to Ventura County and I graduated from high school there.

Japhet De Oliveira: Good. Now, when you were a child in Orange County, what did you imagine you wanted to grow up to be?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: That early, I don't think I imagined anything.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. So then in high school?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: In high school, yes, is when I decided to go into nursing.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, because then you were working, pushing files around and inspired. That's great.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. Hey, practical question here. When you wake up in the morning, first drink of the day, coffee, tea, liquid green smoothie, water? What do you have?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I go right to the coffee maker.

Japhet De Oliveira: Right to the coffee maker.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you crawl to it or no?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I basically crawl.

Japhet De Oliveira: You crawl. What kind of coffee do you like?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I have an espresso machine and that is my favorite coffee.

Japhet De Oliveira: Your favorite coffee. Hey, that's fantastic. All right, and then are you an early riser or a late night owl?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'm an early riser.

Japhet De Oliveira: What would early be like for you?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I get up about 4:30.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, really? Die hard. So you have lots of time in the morning then?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes, I like to take my time. I don't like to feel rushed.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, that's really good. That's really good. Okay, personality. If people were to describe you, would they say you are an introvert or an extrovert? And would you agree with them?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think it depends on who you ask. I think at work I have to be more extrovert, but I am more of an introvert in my social life.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, that's good. That's good. That's fair enough. This morning when you woke up at 4:30, what was the first thought that went through your mind?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I have governing board today and what am I going to wear?

Japhet De Oliveira: You excited about it?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's a good board.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that's great. That's great. Good. Tell me then, a leadership question here, are you a backseat driver?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I try very hard not to be, but I can be depending on who I'm driving with. So if I'm driving with my daughter who is 18, yes, I am a backseat driver.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. And then when it comes to the people you work with, how are you with them if they're driving?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think I can contain myself.

Japhet De Oliveira: You can contain yourself. Hey, that's good. That's good. All right, that's brilliant. Hey look, we just did the first 10 here. So now the floor is open. What number would you like to pick first?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'm going to pick 23.

Japhet De Oliveira: 23. All right, tell us about the most outdated piece of technology that you still have that you use and can't let go of.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'll say my rice cooker.

Japhet De Oliveira: Rice cooker. Is it an old one?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: It is. It's 26 years.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh my. Wow, that's good. But it's just faithful.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah, and I think it's a little sentimental. My grandmother gave it to me.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, really? Well I'm glad it's still working.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Barely. 

Japhet De Oliveira: I was going to say, does it really work?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Barely. The lid, you have to make sure it's closed.

Japhet De Oliveira: And you have thought about changing it, right? Because they are-

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: But you're not going to.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Probably not until it dies.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, dear. All right, well go, go, go rice cooker. Great. That was 23. Where next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'll do 15.

Japhet De Oliveira: 15. All right, what's the one thing you always misplace?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: My keys to the car.

Japhet De Oliveira: Really? Have you tried anything to not lose them?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: No, but I know there's lots of things to use to not lose them. I just have not used them yet.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's very practical. That's very practical.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I know.

Japhet De Oliveira: When was the last time you lost them? Where did you find them?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yesterday.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yesterday.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: And in my bed. I don't even use them there, but I must've thrown them on the bed.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay. I was thinking maybe a month ago. No, it was yesterday. All right.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes, it's daily.

Japhet De Oliveira: Daily. All right, where next after that? That was 15.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 18.

Japhet De Oliveira: 18. If you had to eat just one meal for an entire month, what would be that meal? For all three meals every day, for an entire month, what would be that meal?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Probably street tacos.

Japhet De Oliveira: Street tacos. So not rice?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: No, but I do eat rice almost daily.

Japhet De Oliveira: Almost daily. But you'll go street tacos?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: What's your favorite street taco?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: We have one right around the corner from here that I often go to and they're very good.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: And what do you get inside your taco?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Carne asada.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, very good. Very good. Very good. Good. All right, where next? That was 15.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I know. I'll do 45.

Japhet De Oliveira: 45. Here we go. When people come to you for help, what are they usually asking for?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Usually, I believe they already know what they want to do and they're asking for validation, if they're going down the right path.

Japhet De Oliveira: Just to check. Okay. That's good. You like that?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I do. I think my job is to help people make their decisions when they're sitting on the fence or unclear, so yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, bonus question here. When you're going to go ask for help, what are you usually asking for?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think the same thing.

Japhet De Oliveira: Same thing?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, okay. Cultures set. All right, this is good. All right, that was 45. Where next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 55.

Japhet De Oliveira: 55. Share with us something that frightens you.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I don't like horror movies at all.

Japhet De Oliveira: Second that. Move that motion. All in favor say aye. Yeah, I'm with you.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: So I just don't watch them. I stay clear of them.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, wise person. We should make a podcast about why people should avoid them. All right, where next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 66.

Japhet De Oliveira: 66. All right, tell us about one of your favorite songs and what do you love about it?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Oh wow.

Japhet De Oliveira: This is good. You opened your eyes super wide like whoa.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I don't know if I have a favorite song.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's why.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Let me think.

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you listen to the radio?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: No.

Japhet De Oliveira: No.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I listen to Apple Music playlists.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, playlists that are being configured by Siri for you, because Siri knows you better than you know yourself.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes. I don't know if I have a favorite song. I have two young girls, so it's usually what they're listening to.

Japhet De Oliveira: Okay, so what would it be?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: It's usually Taylor Swift, but I can't say she's my favorite.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, but that's what you listen to a lot.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: But that's what is going in the car a lot.

Japhet De Oliveira: Siri probably thinks that you listen to that all the time.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Oh yeah. So it just starts playing music. I listen to... Let me see. I love Bruno Mars. I love lots of different music. I go to lots of different concerts, but I can't say that I have one favorite song.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. Music is different for everyone. It's yours. That's fantastic. All right, where next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 70.

Japhet De Oliveira: 70. Tell us about one thing that you are determined to accomplish.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: That I'm currently determined or I was in the past?

Japhet De Oliveira: Currently determined.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: My system boss would be happy for me to answer. I need to get my DNP.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh really? Yes. I have heard this. This is great.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: So have you started that journey?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I haven't, but I thought maybe next year I will start that because I'm still transitioning here. I've been at Adventist for about nine months.

Japhet De Oliveira: Nine months?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow. Fantastic. That's good. Yeah, Jackie would be very happy with that.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, where next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 80.

Japhet De Oliveira: 80. All right, how would you like to change in the future?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: How would I like to change in the future?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think I am at the end of raising children. My children are... Well, not at the end because you're always-

Japhet De Oliveira: You're always raising.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Raising them.

Japhet De Oliveira: I was going to say…

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: But they're transitioning into early adulthood and graduating from school. I think I'm excited to transition into the role of seeing my kids grow up and get married and in careers and into being a grandmother someday.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh wow. You're thinking well ahead.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah. Well, it's probably not that far off. I have a 23-year-old, so I am looking forward to that.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, I know what you mean. That's fantastic. Well, good. All right, where next? That was 80.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Where next? 90.

Japhet De Oliveira: 90. All right, tell us about how you overcame something that was seemingly an insurmountable obstacle that you overcame it.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: In my career, I think I started out, I went to school and earned my associate's degree in nursing. And when I did that I thought that's all I want to do. I don't ever want to be in leadership. I'm not going to ever go get my master's. And I eventually went back and got my bachelor's and went into leadership and then went and got my master's. So I think that is something that I feel the most proud of because I just had never seen myself doing all of that.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really good. What motivates you to do that? This desire to learn?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think what motivated me the most is when I went into nursing, I thought it was going to be something very different than what I experienced, and I didn't think that I would love it as much as I do. I really have a passion for nursing. I have a passion for the nurses that I work with. And I think that in leadership you have to go through barriers and to become a CNO, you need that master's. And I was determined to be a CNO one day. About five years ago, I set that goal and I became an associate chief nursing officer at Tennant. And I said, within two years, I'm going to be a CNO. And at the two-year mark, I told my CNO at that time, I'm going to go look for a job and I'm going to make this happen. And I did.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, that's fantastic. That is really good. It's not easy to juggle. To juggle life and career and to study at the same time. So what's the secret of your success to be able to do both, that you would advise to somebody who's liking the same kind of throws?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think it's perseverance and determination. I had young kids at the time when I was doing this, and I just... Every Sunday, that was my day. I was going to do all schoolwork for the whole day and that's how I made it through.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: And then Saturday was family time.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. Great. Well done for the determination to get it done.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Thanks.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that's really good. It's a sacrifice worth doing. Good. All right, where next? That was 90.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 100.

Japhet De Oliveira: 100. All right. Leila, if you don't mind, could you tell us about a question you don't want to answer?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I didn't think about this one.

Japhet De Oliveira: No.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'm going to ask you, what are questions that people answer this with?

Japhet De Oliveira: No, the beauty of this particular conversation is that I get to let you have the time you need to think about... I don't know if I'd want to have somebody ask me this.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I don't know if I can answer this one.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's okay.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I don't think I have one.

Japhet De Oliveira: You don't have one.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Until you hit it.

Japhet De Oliveira: Until I hit it. All right, well maybe we'll circle back.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Okay.

Japhet De Oliveira: We'll circle back. All right, that was question 100. It's a complex one.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: It is.

Japhet De Oliveira: Where would you like to go instead of question 100? Or I should say after question 100.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'll go to 10.

Japhet De Oliveira: 10. We did 10, so it's 11.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Okay. 11.

Japhet De Oliveira: 11. All right, brilliant. Tell us about the most adventurous food or meal you've ever eaten. Leila is happy with this.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I went to a Korean restaurant. It was a barbecue restaurant where they serve the seafood live.

Japhet De Oliveira: Live?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: You mean-

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Alive and then you cook it yourself.

Japhet De Oliveira: And what did you think of that experience?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: It was a nice experience and I probably won't have that again, but yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, good for you. I don't think I need that one. That's good. All right, that was 11. Where do you want to go next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 18.

Japhet De Oliveira: 18. If you had to just eat one meal. Oh, we did that one.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: We did?

Japhet De Oliveira: Didn't we?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Oh yes, we did.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, we did.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Okay. So 25.

Japhet De Oliveira: 25. All right, share the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Most beautiful thing I've ever seen?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Probably the beaches in Hawaii.

Japhet De Oliveira: Which island? Any of them or?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Any of them. I've been to all of them.

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you have a favorite island?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: O'ahu.

Japhet De Oliveira: O'ahu.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: And then what do you like about the beaches?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: They're just so clean and you can see through the water and the sunsets are beautiful and the water looks blue.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's very idyllic. Beautiful. Good, good. All right, where next after that?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 30.

Japhet De Oliveira: 30. Tell us about something you're really looking forward to.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Something I'm really looking forward to? Next Friday my daughter's graduating from high school.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, that's fantastic. Congratulations.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: To you guys. That's good. Are you guys going to do anything special other than celebrating the day?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Well, my son is in Hawaii. He lives there right now, so we will eventually, after graduation, go and see him for a little bit.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, that's great. Oh, that's fantastic. Good, good. All right, that was 30, where next?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 40.

Japhet De Oliveira: 40. Tell us about a time that you failed.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: There's been so many times I've failed.

Japhet De Oliveira: We all do.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I don't know if I like this question.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's good for you, Leila.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I know it is.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's good. You think about the fact that we all fail and there are so many things that we learn from it, but imagine what people will learn from...

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I'm trying to find something big. I mean, there's so many little failures every day and you just learn from them.

Japhet De Oliveira: If you're saying something to your kids like this is a lesson that I learned from something difficult that I did, it didn't succeed in the way I did. What would be that story?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: That would be getting married at 20.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, okay. Getting married at 20.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: You mind unpacking that a little bit?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah. So I met my husband when I... Or ex-husband now when I was 18. And we got married when I was 20, married for 26 years.

Japhet De Oliveira: Wow.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I have three children. And I think when you get married so young, you're not a fully developed person at that time and you don't really know what you want in life. And I think in our case, we just grew apart. We wanted two different pathways. So it took a while to get to that point because I think I don't do failure well, and I wasn't going to give up.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah, okay. All right, that's interesting. So what gave you the courage to decide this chapter needs to end?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think growing up a lot emotionally and just really our paths were going in two different directions.

Japhet De Oliveira: How did you come to that realization? Did somebody help you through that? Did you get it yourself?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I mean, we went through counseling and so I think at first it took a long time, but one day I just woke up and said, "I think it's time. I think it's time. My kids are old enough to be able to handle it as well as anyone can."

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: And I haven't regretted it.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. Good for you.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: Tough decisions. But like we said, everybody fails and everybody finds ways through it. So good. And we become better people for it.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think both of us are in better places on the paths that we're supposed to be.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. That's even better. Good. All right, where next? That was 40.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think I did 55. Let's do 52.

Japhet De Oliveira: 52. Share what motivates you.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: What motivates me?

Japhet De Oliveira: Yeah.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: My children motivate me. My job motivates me. My leaders motivate me. My extended family and friends motivate me.

Japhet De Oliveira: And they motivate you to do what?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think at work, I want to do well. I want nursing to do well. I want good patient outcomes. So I feel like I'm motivated by the people I work with, how hard they work. And I want to contribute to the success of the organization. I think at home with my family, I'm motivated to give my kids a good life and to be a good mom and a person and a community member. And then my friends and family, the people that support you through the hardest times to be as supportive to them as they are to me.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's lovely. Return everything and in tenfold. That's good. Good. All right, we have time for two more.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Okay.

Japhet De Oliveira: Where do you want to go for your last numbers?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 88.

Japhet De Oliveira: 88. All right, you got a little swagger with that one. Tell us about how your life has been different than what you imagined.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I never imagined that I would be a chief nursing officer. I thought I was going to be this cath lab nurse forever. I loved being a cath lab nurse. If you had talked to me 10 years ago, I would've said never.

Japhet De Oliveira: I've got a bonus question here. Obviously nursing, recruiting nursing, retaining nurses are very difficult since the pandemic. We lost a lot of nurses, because many took early retirement, many chose a different path because COVID was rough. Why did you stay in it?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I never doubted staying in it, even through the pandemic. I feel like I have been given a gift of being a nurse and being able to help people. So I can say there was never a day that even through the pandemic, that I thought I would not be a nurse.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. That's good. What's the secret for retaining nurses?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: The way you treat them. I really do feel that way. If you provide a good environment for them to grow and learn, they'll usually stay.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. Good. All right, last question then. Which number?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: 97.

Japhet De Oliveira: 97. All right, tell us about the time when you did the right thing.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think that's in nursing every day. I do.

Japhet De Oliveira: How is that?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: There's always ways to do shortcuts and sometimes with peers and stuff, you're put in situations where if you do the right thing then you're going against the grain. And I think that for me, I have always tried to be a nurse with integrity and even if it was unpopular or if I had to stand up for myself or a patient in any way that I did that. And that is hard for nurses in general to do, especially when you're younger and you don't have the experience. And I think that's one way that leadership can support our nurses. So I think as a nurse, that's a daily thing.

Japhet De Oliveira: And in the circumstances where you've had to do things against the grain, did you feel there were consequences to them or did it pan out to be okay?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I mean, at different organizations and different cultures, yeah, there's different consequences.

Japhet De Oliveira: But you don't have any regret about it?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I don't because maybe that's not an organization that I want to be at if they don't have a just culture.

Japhet De Oliveira: One final question that I've got. Just curious. Say somebody's thinking, should I become a nurse today in this time, this period? What would you say to someone who's contemplating going to school, getting their associates maybe only, or their bachelor's? What would you say to them?

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: I think nursing, for me has been a gift.

Japhet De Oliveira: Great. And so it will be a gift to them.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Yeah. I believe that it has given so much back to me to be able to help people in the time of need in any capacity that I'm serving. Now I'm kind of removed from patient care, but I still get to go visit them. And the nurses that I represent are doing that good work. And it's great to see how we impact families and the community that we serve.

Japhet De Oliveira: Leila, thank you so much for your conversation, for the time. Thank you for sharing some of your passions and your fears. I want to encourage people to do the same thing, sit down with a friend, ask them good questions, maybe over a cup of tea or a Diet Coke or whatever's going on. And we learn, and I really do believe this, that we learn about each other, but we learn also for ourselves who we actually can be. So let me encourage you to do the same and we will connect again. Again, thank you so much.

Leila Ibushi-Thompson: Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right, God bless everybody.

Narrator: Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch, and submit your story and experience at adventisthealth.org/story. The Story & Experience Podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.