An Interview with Dr. Victoria Siegel

EDE9811 Theories in Social Organizations IIFaculty – Dr. Elsa-Sofia MorotePrepared by Muhammad Asim and Cheryl ChambersJuly 28, 2013

About Dr. Victoria Siegel• Professor of Nursing at Molloy College. Dr. Siegel

teaches graduate and undergraduate courses (Nursing in Higher Education).

• A proud Dowling College graduate. Earned Ed.D. in 2009

• Dissertation: Student Nurse Knowledge of Skin Cancer, Sun Protective Behaviors, Perceptions of Acquiring Skin Cancer, and the Role of the Nurse in Skin Cancer Prevention

 

Dr. Siegel (far right) teaches nurses about skin cancer

prevention.

Dr. Siegel’s Research Topic: skin cancer, sun protective behaviors, and perceptions about acquiring skin cancer

A quasi-experimental study involving three groups of student nurses: 1) A control that received a written pretest and posttest 2) A lecture group that received the pretest, posttest and a lecture 3) An intervention group that received the pretest , posttest, lecture , and UV-filtered photography that showed them underlying sun damage to their skin.

The premise for the study stems from Psychology literature and yielded interesting results.

Research Finding

Dr. Siegel’s study established that using a lecture and UV-filtered photography was a more effective teaching methodology than a lecture alone with respect to perceptions about acquiring skin cancer. While some results demonstrated that the intervention had a positive effect on the variables of perception, knowledge, and behavior, some resistance to changing sun protection behaviors remained. Increasing the knowledge and perception of student nurses will likely enhance their ability to educate about skin cancer and the dangers of tanning.

Links of InterestDr. Victoria Siegel is devoted to raising awareness in the medical community about skin cancer the role of nurses in skin cancer education and prevention. She is an advocate for the Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation (Garden City, NY) and has published several articles for professional associations and websites. Dr. Siegel also speaks to youth at Long Island schools about the dangers of tanning and skin cancer prevention. This summer, she will present a proposal for a nursing education program about patient examination for skin cancer to the North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital Administration for system-wide implementation.

Mollie Biggane Melanoma FoundationMercy Nurses Learn About Skin Cancer (Garden City News, 06/07/2013)

Nurse Role in Skin Cancer Prevention (ADVANCE for Nurses, Last update 07/25/2012)

Siegel, V. (2012). Exploring the Role of the Nurse in Skin Cancer Prevention, Dermatology Nursing, 18-22.

Siegel, V. (May-June 2012). Adding Patient Education of Skin Cancer and Sun-Protective Behaviors to the Skin Assessment Screening on Admission to the Hospital , MEDNURG Nursing, 21(3), 183-184.

Leadership and CommunicationAccording to Dr. Siegel, a successful leader listens carefully, observes, and learns (figures out) what is working and what is not working before attempting to make changes. The leader understands that change is not easy to come by. The leader must give serious consideration and deep thought about who will be impacted by the change and how they will be impacted by the change.

Stephen Covey: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. (Ref: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)

Leadership and CommunicationDr. Siegel says that a successful leader strives to understand the culture of the work environment and maintains open communication. Prejudging others can be a barrier to communication and successful leadership. Maintaining stereotypes hinder leadership effectiveness. It is always best to listen to others and consider their points of view before drawing conclusions.

Reflection: Failure to listen also can lead to errors listed in The Ten Dumbest Mistakes Smart People Make by Dr. Arthur Freeman and Rose DeWolf: Chicken Little Syndrome and Mind Reading. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People , Stephen Covey advises to “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Leadership and CommunicationDr. Siegel says that a successful leader does not think she or he is better than anyone else. Women have their own way of leadership. It is different from the way men lead. Women leaders need to communicate assertively while also listening to others in order to understand their viewpoints.

The leader must ask herself or himself if the organizational culture is receptive to proper communication and work to implement or maintain appropriate ways of relating to others.

Reflection: Failure to listen also can lead to errors listed in The Ten Dumbest Mistakes Smart People Make by Dr. Arthur Freeman and Rose DeWolf: Believing Your Own Press and Perfectionism

Comments about The Princessa, Machiavelli for Women

Dr. Siegel: Although the Nursing profession is predominantly female, male nurses advance much quicker than women. She questions why this occurs. Are women nurses “anti-female” themselves? Are they more comfortable having men succeed than other women ? What is happening here?

Reflection: This topic may require research about the perceptions of female nurses about the rapid career advancement of their male colleagues.

Comments about The Princessa, Machiavelli for WomenDr. Siegel: Females are socialized differently, which makes women different. Women tend not to ask for what they deserve or are worth. Women have to “fight” for what they need and must not lose their place in leadership. She also maintains that achieving self-confidence as a deserving person and having “presence” is essential. Women have the tools to get what they want.

Reflection: Here, Dr. Siegel essentially agrees with author Harriet Rubin. However, she offers a different perspective: Women should not have to change who they are in order to be regarded as equals.

Comments about The Princessa, Machiavelli for WomenDr. Siegel: Women leaders must not tolerate excuses from others that are based upon stereotypes about women. This is especially important when it comes to a women negotiating her salary or requesting a promotion.

Reflection: Women leaders must be aware of the stereotypes that prevail about them and be careful not to perpetuate such stereotypes in word and deed. How a female leader behaves towards others and what she or he says about other women can have a profound impact.

Comments aboutThe Princessa, Machiavelli for WomenDr. Siegel: Developing a “monster mesh” or network of support is essential (Tactic #4), but not just for women leaders. Men also need to develop support networks.

Reflection: No one succeeds in a vacuum. Every leader relies upon the support of others who share a common vision. This is not a gender-based issue, but is essential for all leaders. During the interview, Dr. Siegel frequently endorsed her belief that women can more easily make changes in an organization by creating social networks of relationships among colleagues.

Comments about The Princessa, Machiavelli for Women

Dr. Siegel: As leaders, women and men should be equal. Female leaders should not have to use their voices as weapons or to build authority and to establish strength. Women should be themselves and speak as they usually do. They do not have to talk loud, use declarations, and speak with commands. Dr. Siegel questions Rubin’s assertions in this area.

Comments about The Art of WarDr. Siegel rejects the notion of “warring” in order for one to get what is needed. The term “war” is disturbing, has negative connotations, and is difficult for her to associate with leadership.

War should be reserved to the political world and used only as a last resort.

Although it is important for a leader and the employees to be on the same page, extreme loyalty is not required.

Reflection: Dr. Siegel does not agree with author Sun Tzu about the use of war and “The Way.” In the workplace, it is not necessary for the leader to require extreme loyalty from their staff.

Comments about The Art of WarDr. Siegel says that she loves her job as a professor and does not feel or think that she is at war with anyone. She has had several administrative roles which included making difficult decisions. When communicating difficult decisions, Dr. Siegel does not raise her voice or change her tone of voice or change her posture.

Reflection: Sometimes, a leader has to make difficult decisions. However, one need not change their communication style in order to achieve their goals. Consistent kinesics and paralanguage can effectively convey a message. It is not necessary to create an antagonistic situation. Discernment in all situations is key.

Comments about The Art of WarDr. Siegel says that a leader must take notice about their organization’s culture and how to effectively manage within the culture. Although there are different subcultures within a hospital setting where many physicians and nurses work together but do not greet each other or have social conversations, she speaks to the doctors and models how to work with them as a team member.

Reflection: This is similar to The Art of War by Sun Tzu, who wrote that the leader must be aware of the social, psychological, and the physical aspects. Leaders also must model the behavior they wish to see in others.

Comments about The Art of WarDr. Siegel: Sometimes, leaders should not lay everything out on the table. For example, the Obama Administration and the National Security Administration held secrets about telephone tapping, which created great controversy. Sometimes it is necessary to keep information to one’s self. Failing to do so can create conflict. She does not consider this to be deception.

Reflection: Dr. Siegel agrees with Sun Tzu about the need for the leader to keep information hidden. However, careful discernment is needed to ensure that holding such information does not have detrimental results for the organization (e.g., creating a lack of trust).

Leadership Advice for Student NursesIt is essential to communicate with your staff as well as with the patients. She has her nurses actually sit with the patients and talk to them rather than stand taking notes. Conveying messages of care and demonstrating caring behavior (verbally and nonverbally)is a major part of nursing. Nurses teach patients all of the time, so understanding and being understood is important.

Leadership Advice for Health Care ProfessionalsBehave confidently when speaking to other professionals, no matter who they are and their rank. Develop your self-efficacy so that you can feel confident when relating to others. This is especially important for women in their early 20s, many of whom are unsure of themselves. We have a highly paternalistic and sexist society, so women must believe in themselves and in their ability to be good leaders.

ConclusionDr. Victoria Siegel is a scholar-practitioner who has made outstanding contributions to Nursing Education and the Nursing profession. Her research in sun protection behavior, skin cancer awareness, and the role of nurses is pioneering and she has worked hard to bring it to the health care industry. She also gives of her time to the bring awareness to the Long Island region.

Dr. Siegel is grounded in a personal and professional philosophy that supports and empowers others – especially women – to emerge and succeed as leaders. This is demonstrated daily in her role as a professor and mentor of undergraduate and graduate students.

The researchers found the experience of interviewing Dr. Siegel to be inspiring and very rewarding. As a Dowling graduate, she is a role model for the researchers as well.