Molly Moody

I feel strongly that nursing leadership starts at the bedside, not in the boardroom. Clinical nurses should drive quality concerns and policy changes up the chain of command. This means inspiring nurses to practice to the full scope of their license and to engage with hospital leadership. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself; where are you from, and what do you like to do in your spare time?  

I was born in Alabama and raised in Texas. I moved to New York the day after my 18th birthday and have lived here since. My first degree was in the humanities, and I spent my 20s working nonprofit jobs supporting health and education. I decided to pursue nursing as a second career toward the end of my 20s and finished my accelerated nursing program on my 30th birthday.  

I never get tired of exploring NYC. In my spare time you'll find me walking, running, cycling, and taking ferries through the outer boroughs. My favorite day off used to include a long bike ride into Queens to eat Momos. Now that I am six months pregnant, I'm taking long walks to find tasty food instead.  

Why did you decide to pursue nursing, and why did you choose Columbia?  

A friend from my queer network became a nurse in her late 20s. By watching her, I realized that nursing needs more queer representation and that it could be a good fit for my personality. While working inpatient in oncology and ICU before and after COVID-19, I've become increasingly concerned by issues affecting our health care system. At the bedside I've noticed increasing health care burnout, declining nursing quality, and rising health inequity. I chose to pursue the MS in Advanced Clinical Management and Leadership at Columbia because I wanted to learn practical tools that would help me address these issues I see firsthand.  

What are you passionate about, and how has being a student at Columbia Nursing allowed you to follow that passion?  

I feel strongly that nursing leadership starts at the bedside, not in the boardroom. Clinical nurses should drive quality concerns and policy changes up the chain of command. This means inspiring nurses to practice to the full scope of their license and to engage with hospital leadership. Columbia Nursing has given me concrete, practical tools to help drive change and engage more fully in my workplace. Many of these skills are things I could not have learned at work due to the high-velocity nature of bedside nursing. Columbia's schedule is very accommodating, and the curriculum is designed for busy professionals. I felt well supported in the program and have used what I learned to lead educational events and quality improvement initiatives in my institution.  

Do you have a favorite memory of your time at Columbia Nursing?  

My favorite memory is when our class surprised professor Lisa Iannacci-Manasia with homemade signs on the last day of class. She is an incredibly inspiring person who exemplifies the intellectualism, integrity, and kindness of our profession. She even helped shape Sesame Street. If you meet her, ask her how.      

What are your next steps after graduation?  

I continue to work as an ICU nurse and co-lead our hospital's Pressure Injury Prevention Council. I also recently started a nursing research fellowship offered at my organization, building on what we learned in the program. I am working on a proposal to study whether nurses identify skin injuries differently depending on the patient's skin tone. I hope to publish my results when complete and use those findings to recommend policy changes within my institution.