In her own words, Traci Bernard has “re-created” herself multiple times throughout her career in healthcare leadership. Starting out as a nurse, over the years she kept accepting new opportunities and taking on new challenges until eventually landing in the driver’s seat she now occupies as president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Southlake, Texas.
Asked to reflect on her unusual career, Traci explained,
“I started out in nursing and loved nursing, but I like to make change; I like to be a part of change, I like to drive change. And with that passion and the willingness to take risks and embrace fear, every time someone would ask if I’d like to try something different, I thought ‘Why not?’ So I would try something different and take on a new challenge. And that challenge opened another door, which opened another door.”
She went on to offer this advice to aspiring healthcare leaders:
“Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, and don’t make a decision for money. Sometimes steppingback financially moves you so much further financially, because you’re willing to take a step back to learn a new skillset… that then makes you even more marketable at a higher level. I think too often people make decisions not on passion and not on what drives them and not on what excites them, but it’s about ‘Well, am I going to make more money doing this?'”
To watch this excellent video segment from the interview, click above!