Priscilla Samuel, DNP, FNP-BC, RN
Patients at Mount Sinai Health System are almost certain to receive care from an advanced practice nurse (APN) over the course of their health care. It might be for preventive care, hospital care, ambulatory care, or rehabilitation.
Advanced practice nurses across Mount Sinai Health System continue to be essential to delivering the best patient care while minimizing duplication of clinical effort and promoting the appropriate and timely use of all health care providers on the team. These providers help improve access to care, add efficiency to work flows, and provide continuity of care and specialty-based expertise.
Mount Sinai Health System employs more than 900 advanced practice nurses. Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN, Chief Nursing Executive at Mount Sinai Health System, applauds how advanced practice nurses work collaboratively with their respective teams in expanding access, addressing social determinants of health, and increasing patient satisfaction across all Mount Sinai sites. Believing that this large group required a singular face of leadership, Dr. Oliver appointed Priscilla Samuel, DNP, FNP-BC, RN, as Vice President of Advanced Practice Nursing for the Mount Sinai Health System in early 2022.
“I stepped into my role fully recognizing the vital role of a collaborative leadership team including the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Advanced Practice Provider (APP) clinical leads, and medical and nursing leaders, as well as leaders from quality, human resources, and medical staff services in supporting the introduction, integration, and optimization of the APN role within our organization,” she says. “I am humbled by the tremendous support I continue to receive from both nursing and medical leadership in helping develop a centralized model for advanced practice nursing.”
Dr. Samuel adds, “My objective is to establish a framework which will help guide advanced practice nurses in prioritizing enterprise-wide initiatives while achieving system and departmental goals and metrics as well as furthering professional and personal career aspirations.”
Dr. Samuel brings vast clinical and leadership experience to her role. She is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner, and holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Case Western Reserve University. In her previous role as an Associate Dean for Nurse Practitioner Clinical Affairs at the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, she was one of the founding members and architects of a national model for an innovative graduate nursing education program. She also served as the first corporate director for advanced practice nursing at Northwell.
Advanced practice providers have been successfully integrated into team-based models for the last 50-plus years without compromising quality, safety, or patient satisfaction. The current landscape of health care has amplified the value these providers bring to the communities they serve. “The demand for these advanced practice nurses is reflected in the growth of the number of these providers within our own enterprise,” says Dr. Samuel. The Mount Sinai Hospital alone has more than 600 APNs practicing across multiple specialties. This increase in APNs creates a need for centralized coordination to manage core functions and provide support and resources for key areas such as service, engagement, safety, quality, stewardship, and innovation.
In addition to providing strategic direction and developing organizational strategies, Dr. Samuel’s role is to advocate, promote, and elevate APN practice. She says, “The key is to create a sustainable infrastructure to support APN excellence,” and developing a leadership model is a vital component. Since joining the organization, Dr. Samuel has continued to advocate for a director-level role at each site to address the unique and specific needs of the APNs there.
Dr. Samuel says, “In the coming days, the focus will continue on identifying goals and outcomes and then being intentional about mapping out the processes and executing the processes with fidelity to achieve best outcomes.”
Mount Sinai recognizes the value and impact of integrating APPs into the innovative team-based care models, as reflected in the establishment of the Center for Advanced Practice in January of 2022. “Both my Physician Assistant (PA) counterpart, Heather Isola, and I are working closely to strategize and provide guidance towards developing an environment in which APNs and PAs are supported, valued, and empowered,” Dr. Samuel says.
“Our goal is to be a center for excellence and a national model for APP practice. The aim of the Center is to provide comprehensive and ongoing support to all employed APPs with the intention to promote a systemwide standard of care and practice by blending practice, education, research, and professional growth. The objective is to facilitate pathways for career development, expansion of clinical expertise, and the capturing of productivity,” says Dr. Samuel. “We support advocacy for the professions to operate to the top of licensure and utilize the unique versatility APPs have to offer to help meet the needs of our continually evolving health care ecosystems. The future is bright and Advanced Practice Nurses are poised to be leaders in the continual redesign of health care in this country.”