Lifepoint Health Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) Program 

Leading While Caring—Rebekah's Path from CNA to CNO

Back in 2007, Rebekah Artman didn’t see herself as a leader. At the time, she was a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at community hospital Harris Regional, juggling patient care, nursing school, and motherhood. Over the years Artman has worked her way to degrees and roles, positioning her to where she is today. The Lifepoint Health veteran is evolving as a healthcare operator in the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) program, serving Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina. “I think about the inspirational leaders I have had who have taken the time to make sure I am successful. I hope to take what others have taught and share those lessons.”

After earning her registered nursing license in 2009, Artman developed a passion for providing bedside care as an ICU nurse and was routinely tapped for interim leadership roles. “The transformational leaders I’ve had here saw something in me before I saw it in myself,” Artman, who hails from Robbinsville, North Carolina, says, adding: “I never wanted to be too far away from my passion for caring for patients.”

The transformational leaders I’ve had here saw something in me before I saw it in myself.

Stepping into her first official nursing administration roles at Haywood Regional Medical Center, she soon realized that patient care is central to hospital leadership. “Not only do I care for patients, but now I care for our staff as well, nurturing their personal and professional growth,” Artman says. 

Tuition for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Western Governors University was offset through Lifepoint’s reimbursement benefit, and Artman credits the healthcare MBA program at the University of Tennessee for ramping up her leadership skills and pursuits. A key to balancing priorities as a nursing director and graduate student? “Intentional planning time,” she says. “Asking myself what is approaching and what I can do to prepare–has helped me be more successful day to day.”

Empowered by Core Values

A central component of hospital leadership is giving and receiving feedback. Artman says that a steady feedback loop ensures she is aware of what she calls ‘blind spots,’ and helps her know what to focus her intentions on. “Positive feedback I have received is that I am positive,” she says. “I find our Core Values to be incredibly empowering. Are we being accountable to these values, I’ll often ask.”

Lifepoint’s Core Values are:

• Champion Patient Care
• Do the Right Thing
• Embrace Individuality
• Act with Kindness
• Make a Difference Together

In the ACNO program, Artman was mentored by Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Becky Jones at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital for a year. She says Jones was transformative in her leadership journey throughout her time there and critical in shifting her approach to systems thinking. “Director to an executive is a whole different mindset," Artman says. "It’s moving from ‘Here is my area of focus,’ to ‘How does this impact the whole?’”

Now part of the Frye family since February, Artman works alongside CNO Bridget Denzik, ensuring she’s in alignment with patient and hospital goals. “Bridget champions those she leads," Artman says. "The team that works here really loves the people we work with. Together we are here for the patients. The end outcome is always the patient.”

A Voice for Fellow Nurses

Artman says she stays employed within Lifepoint Health because of its Core Values, administrators, and opportunities for personal and professional growth and development. “The courses and onsite experiences continue to invigorate me in this profession,” Artman says. While it’s easy to become task-oriented in any role, Artman has clarity when it comes to the type of people-first leader she wants to be. “I want to provide colleagues and those I lead with a voice, a stage," she says. "I want to listen to their suggestions for overcoming obstacles and reaching solutions."