Bill Klaproth (host): Welcome to the ASHRM podcast, made possible by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to support efforts to advance, safe and trusted healthcare through enterprise risk management.

You can visit ashrm.org/membership to learn more and to become an ASHRM member. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth, and with me is Shannon Sears, Executive Vice President of Quality, Safety, Risk, and Compliance at ThriveMore as we meet in ASHRM Rising Stars Award winner. Shannon, welcome.

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Hey, Bill. Thank you for having me on.

Host: Yeah, great to talk with you Shannon. So let's start with this. Can you tell us about your journey into the field of healthcare risk management?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Sure. My path into risk management, it really grew out of my background in healthcare leadership. I've always been drawn to improving systems and supporting teams. I also love law and risk management, so this just felt like the perfect space where I could blend my experience with my passion for safety and quality of care.

Host: Yeah. How long have you been a risk manager?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Ooh, coming up on six years.

Host: Okay. I love it. Well, what you described there, it sounds like this is like the perfect fit for you.

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: It really is.

Host: Six years. That is great. You've come a long way. So let me ask you this. What does it mean to you to be recognized as one of ASHRM's Rising Stars?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Oh, it's an honor, honestly. It's actually kind of humbling to be recognized by the people that I've met and look up to in this field. It's also motivating. It reminds me that what I do every day it really matters.

Host: So on a personal basis, how does this feel to be an award winner?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Well, to me it's amazing to even think that I would be recognized for that. So personally, I feel very proud of it and I also think that it, taking it back to my community, it also shines a light on how important what I do is.

Host: Yeah, let's talk about that a little bit more. So, how has earning this award impacted your professional development and career to this point?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Oh man. It has opened a lot of doors with networking, going to the conferences and the educational opportunities that ASHRM offers. I have met this wonderful network of people that I can call on if there's something that I don't know, because as much as we think we're experts, there's always things to learn, and so I lean on this network of people, that ASHRM has created for us. It's also opened doors within my own company. I've received promotions because of this opportunity and this education that I've gotten. So it's been a wonderful, rewarding experience for me.

Host: Yeah, let's, touch on that a little bit more. So, can you tell us a little bit more how ASHRM has been pivotal or instrumental in your career development?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Well, I actually won a scholarship from ASHRM and was able to attend the CPHRM Academy and I'll be sitting for my board exam here soon. And that has led me to the opportunity to become the Executive Vice president of risk at my company. And now I'm involved in a lot more expanded duties.

Host: Yeah, that sounds great. So how about mentors along the way? When I talk to people, they'll say, yeah, this person was really instrumental in my career development. Any mentors along the way you'd like to mention and what that person did for you?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Oh my goodness. I've had a few amazing mentors along the way. Sonya Connor, she's within the North Carolina ASHRM chapter. I've worked with her professionally and she's the one who got me interested in ASHRM and got me to go to the first conference or session offered. And she's one that I can call on whenever I need something, or if I'm thinking I know the answer to it, but I'm second guessing myself. She's usually right there, behind me saying you had it the whole time. You gotta trust in yourself and all the knowledge that you've amassed over the years. So, I've had a few great amazing mentors.

Host: So it's really nice when you have somebody like that that you can turn to that gives you some great advice, makes you feel like you're not in this alone when you need someone there to ask a question or bounce an idea off of. So, great to hear that and I know Sonya will appreciate that shout out. So Shannon, can you talk about any successful risk management projects that you've led?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: One project I'm really proud of being involved with is revamping our incident reporting process. We've made it a little more transparent and collaborative, which will lead to better communication in my mind and fewer repeat events. We've also focused a lot on staff education. That's a little passion of mine, a side passion.

And that shift has really strengthened our culture of safety overall. And I see that with our surveys and when I'm on the floor and I'm asking questions, they're not afraid to give me answers anymore, and they give me honest answers. Whether it's the one I want to hear or not is always debatable.

But they are starting to give us that information and we're able to fix projects and make things more streamlined and efficient for our staff.

Host: Yeah. So what do you think are the qualities that make up a successful risk manager?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Oh, wow. Openness, pausing before making a decision or providing an answer sometimes so you can understand the context of things. But I think a great risk manager is one who's present and visible and to the point that you're one of the team. It's not, oh, no, here comes safety or here comes risk management. They know who you are and they actively look for you.

Host: So openness, pausing, as you said, I think that's really important. Being present and being visible. So really good stuff, Shannon. Thank you for mentioning that. So I'm curious, what advice do you have for newcomers to the field of risk management?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: I'd say stay curious. Be open to learning from everyone around you, not just your peers. I think risk management isn't just about policies as much as the legal side of me loves policies, it is about people and the processes that we're doing. So if you approach it with curiosity and a problem solving mindset, you're going to grow. But you're also going to make a real impact.

Host: I like how you said that, Shannon people and process. That's a good way to put it. So, looking ahead, where do you think we're going in the field of risk management?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: I think everything is involving AI, so I'm very curious and interested to see how AI is going to affect us positively or negatively.

Host: AI is such a big one. That is certainly the talk of most industries, not just healthcare and risk management, but everywhere. So that is a good insight. Shannon, this has been great, wonderful talking with you, and congratulations once again on being named an ASHRM Rising Star. Anything you want to add before we go?

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: I'm just really appreciative of ASHRM both at the state and the national level. It's been very instrumental in my career.

Host: Absolutely. Well, Shannon, thank you again. I really appreciate it.

Shannon Sears, BSN-RN, LNHA, a-IP, WOC, CDP: Thanks Bill.

Host: You bet. And once again, that is Shannon Sears, a recipient of the ASHRM Rising Stars Award. And what makes ASHRM so great is our members. Consider sharing your personal journey or story as part of our ASHRM Member Spotlight series. More information can be found at ashrm.org/ashrm-member-spotlight.

Once again, ashrm.org/ashrm-member-spotlight.

And once again, the ASHRM Podcast is made possible by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to support efforts to advance, safe and trusted healthcare through enterprise risk management. You can visit ashrm.org/membership to learn more and to become an ASHRM member. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you.

Thanks for listening.