Sandy Grela (RN, MSN, MHA and CNML) is the nurse manager of South 7, the Palliative and Hospice Unit at Middlesex Health, where she has worked since 2018. She co-chairs the Nurse Management Collaborative and Medication Safety. A certified nurse manager and leader, she precepts and mentors new nurse managers.
What makes you a Healthcare Hero?
This past year, I co-presented a discharge improvement initiative at the Magnet conference, exceeded my patient experience and employee engagement goals and received the Transformational Leadership Award at our Nurses’ Week Professional Practice Award ceremony.
I’ve maintained a highly engaged, well-retained team while onboarding and mentoring newer nurse managers. I accomplished all of this while undergoing breast cancer treatment, which taught me firsthand what compassionate, patient-centered care truly means, and deepened my commitment to leading with resilience and empathy.
Tell us about a challenge in your job that you were able to overcome.
This past year, I led a highly engaged, compassionate team delivering excellent patient outcomes, all while undergoing breast cancer treatment myself. Balancing my own care with my responsibilities as a nurse manager pushed me to lead differently: leaning on my team and staying present for my staff even on my hardest days.
What’s your next major goal and/or challenge?
One of my professional goals is to share my leadership experience more broadly through conference speaking engagements and poster presentations. I want to help other nurse leaders navigate the challenges of team building, staff engagement and leading through adversity by presenting the strategies that have worked for my team at South 7.
