Why I Still Fly: Balancing the Flight Nurse Role and the CEO Seat with OptimuMedicine CEO, Devon Eisma

CEO of OptimuMedicine, Devon Eisma (2nd from the left)

What inspired you to continue working as a flight nurse after taking on the CEO role?

I went to school to become a nurse and really enjoy taking care of patients. When the company was created, we really wanted to make sure we stayed in touch with the working clinicians and continuing to fly is a great way to do that. Additionally, I find there is a tremendous benefit to company leadership experiencing what it is like to be on the front lines, so to speak.

How do you manage the emotional and physical demands of flight nursing alongside the strategic responsibilities of being a CEO?

That can be difficult for sure! OptimuMedicine is very fortunate to have a strong leadership team and they automatically step in when I am flying. Understandably, when it is time to take care of patients, I (do my best to) put my Flight Nurse hat on. Of course, I am still thinking about the operation as a whole and do my best not to allow my brain to let me get sidetracked when a patient needs me.

What specific skills from your flight nurse experience directly translate to your leadership as a CEO?

I think it really helps me to remember what caused us to start OptimuMedicine in the first place, which is our desire to provide an awesome work environment to allow for clinicians to take care of patients like they want their family members to be cared for. It helps me to experience OptimuMedicine through the eyes of the hands-on clinicians and to make sure that we are keeping them in mind with the decisions we make.

How do you prioritize your time between clinical shifts in the air and executive duties at the company?

Honestly, I do my best to carry out my executive duties with the thought of a clinician always in the back of my brain. I routinely ask myself if a certain plan or execution of that plan, is in line with the reasons we started OptimuMedicine.

What challenges have you faced in balancing these dual roles, and how have you overcome them?

Sometimes, there are high level processes that we are going through during a flight and I really have to block them out while I am taking care of a particularly sick patient. I have to trust that this system that we have created works and that the amazing people we have hired play their part in each mission.

Can you share a memorable patient care experience from a flight that influenced your leadership approach?

The feeling of assisting with a complex flight of any patient and helping them to get to their destination in the same or better condition that we picked them up in keeps me focused on the reason we started this company in the first place. It helps me to remember that our clinicians are the lifeblood of our organization and without them, OptimuMedicine is not able to deliver the high level of care we were created to provide.

How do your colleagues in the clinical field react to your ongoing involvement as a flight nurse while serving as CEO?

For most of our seasoned employees, it is very normal. For our newer employees, it can be a little strange as I am reminding them that I am flying as their flight-nurse partner, and not as the CEO. I hope that it gives credibility to the leadership team when we ask our staff to do certain things, as they routinely see us doing the job alongside them.

What systems or support structures have you put in place to ensure you can effectively manage both roles?

Ensuring that we have robust leadership structure and that all personnel are empowered to make smart decisions allows me to devote my attention to the mission I am assigned to.

How do you maintain your clinical competencies and certifications while leading a company?

That can be a challenge! I maintain my flight credentials and licensing requirements like every other clinician we employ. I do my best to pay special attention to the high-risk, low occurrence things that may come up while flying and really keep focused on the details of a critical patient.

In what ways does your hands-on nursing role help you connect with your company’s mission and workforce?

It helps me to keep my ear to the ground and fully understand the joys and pains of being a clinician here at OptimuMedicine. I would like to think it allows me to best understand what I am asking our staff to do when requests are made or direction is given.

How do you handle the stress of making life-and-death decisions in the air while also managing high-stakes business decisions?

I really try to stay focused on one or the other. I don’t think it is possible to give full attention to both of them concurrently. However, when it is time to switch roles, I try to carry things I learned from the other with me. I think that makes us unique as a company and the ideal destination for clinicians to have a fulfilling home to provide patient care in.

What advice would you give to other healthcare leaders who want to stay clinically involved while taking on executive roles?

I think it is vital and allows leadership to fully understand everything that your staff experiences while they are providing patient care.

How has your dual role shaped the culture or priorities of your organization?

We do our very best to keep our employees at the forefront of every decision we make. We believe that, as a company, our job is to concentrate on our employees, which will allow them to concentrate on our patients. The idea is that we ensure we are providing the absolute best environment to work in and allow our staff to take care of our customers like they are taking care of their own families.

Have there been moments when you considered stepping away from flight nursing, and what convinced you to stay?

I certainly don’t fly as much as I used to, but I still thoroughly enjoy taking care of patients. I intend to keep doing this as long as I can provide high levels of care to the patients that I am assigned to.

What role does your flight nursing experience play in building trust with your stakeholders?

I think it is very impactful when we introduce ourselves to new clinical customers and I am able to speak to them both from the perspective of a clinician and company executive. I think it really demonstrates our commitment to both clinical and operational quality as a company. I am able to speak from a position of authority on both fronts.

What’s one lesson from your flight nurse role that you wish every CEO could learn and apply to their leadership?

That in order to have a successful company, you have to remember the reason that the company exists. I think this is forgotten about, especially in healthcare sometimes, and is vital to meeting the goals describing the reason companies like OptimuMedicine were created in the first place.

I do my best to always lead from the front and routinely express to staff my willingness to do the things that I am asking them to do. Leadership from the top down promotes leadership from the ground up, I believe.