Bobbie Jo Nagel is the “quintessential nurse leader,” said one of her nominators, who adds, “She models the behaviors she wishes her nurses to aspire to. She innately understands that you don’t make your staff do something, you inspire them to want to do. By approaching leadership in this way, she has influenced many in an upward trajectory in their own practice; from entering college to obtain a higher degree, or studying as a group to achieve national certifications, or by actively mentoring medic students so the next generation of 911 responders has the benefit of bedside learning.”
Nagel, a charge nurse at Bayfront Health’s Citrus Hills freestanding emergency department, said achieving a nursing career was a “long journey.” Starting as an EMT, then working as an emergency department secretary and tech, then pursuing other work opportunities, becoming a nurse was always in the back of her mind.
