For this assignment, I was able to interview Regina Bowman RN, BSN. Her current position is Director of Medical-Surgical Nursing. Her position places her over seven nursing units located between two facilities. Regina received her nursing degree from Mercer Medical School of Nursing in 1979. The Mercer Medical School of Nursing is still in operation although it has been renamed the Capital Health School of Nursing. Her return to school began after graduation. She enrolled at Mercer County Community College to get her associates. Secondly, she attended La Salle University and received her bachelor's degree in nursing in 2003. Finally, she is currently enrolled at Thomas Edison State University and is expected to graduate in 2011 with her master's degree in nursing. Regina has held numerous clinical jobs, both in and out of the hospital. Initially, she began her nursing career as a medical-surgical nurse shortly after graduation. After gaining experience, she worked in the emergency room and then returned to Med-Surge as an assistant director. Subsequently, the unit she worked in closed and Regina was placed in an outpatient facility managing groups of doctors owned by the hospital. This position led her to return as director of 7 East, a general medicine unit. This position ultimately gave her the opportunity to take on her current position as hospital director. I started the interview with questions focused on various aspects of leadership. Regina believes, and is convinced, that leadership is the key to the survival of any organization. Regina goes on to describe the qualities that she believes make up a well-defined and effective leader. A leader must accept and encourage change. First, it makes a ...... middle of paper ...... available to hear the needs and concerns of staff. I think this is truly a remarkable thing to do and I wish more administrators/leaders would implement this practice. Connecting the interview to the text, I found remarkable similarities. Discussions about change, empowerment, organizational decision making, autonomy, magnet, authority, all leadership practices, and its importance were all covered during the interview process. Although intimidated by this project at first, I found it very insightful and valuable. It was interesting to get a perspective on these different topics from a senior administrator within the institution. Additionally, this exercise made me think more about my personal leadership style. This allowed me to identify my strengths and weaknesses that I need to focus on to become a more effective and desirable leader within the organization..