W
Most Admired
oman 2013
Charlotte Ipsan
W
hen Charlotte Ipsan was a little girl, she loved to play nurse with her Julia Barbie doll, which wore a white nurse uniform and cap. It came as no surprise to her family that she set her mind on a nursing career early on, foregoing some “easy A” classes her friends took in high school to load up on science, biology, and Latin. Charlotte’s efforts earned her a scholarship, and she went on to study nursing at Indiana University Southeast. After graduating, she took a job at Kosair Children’s Hospital. “I always wanted a lot of action,” she says, and the demands of pediatric health care promised to keep her on her toes. Not one to shy away from challenges, Charlotte kept taking on more responsibility during her seven years at Kosair. Building on her nursing experience and innate entrepreneurial skills, she eventually moved into managerial and administrative roles that allowed her to help more people than when she was at the bedside. She later transferred her skills to Norton Healthcare, where she spent more than 20 years in various roles. Along the way, Charlotte obtained a master’s degree in nursing with a focus on neonatal care from the University of Louisville. She also served as instructor and course director and managed the advanced neonatal nurse practitioner team of the Department of Pediatrics. In 2009, Charlotte returned to Kosair as vice president of Kosair Children’s Medical Center. She was promoted to system vice president of pediatric services for Norton Healthcare and Kosair Children’s Hospital two years later. After an exhaustive nationwide search for the right person to lead the new Norton Women’s and Kosair Children’s Hospital, Charlotte was selected as the hospital’s president effective May 2012. “I do need constant challenges and change to think that I’m providing value,” Charlotte says, “and every step has been a new adventure for me.” Did you ever think about someday heading up a hospital when you began your nursing career? If people
asked me then if I ever thought I’d be a hospital president, I’d say, “No way!” At the time that seemed so boring, but being a bedside nurse, and then a neonatal nurse practitioner, and having all the mentors along the way, and learning to integrate business, program development, and some entrepreneurial skills that I find fascinating — I think all that led me to where I am today, to where I can help so many more people. And it certainly helped being at the right place at the right time.
Chair on page 40 provided by Contemporary Galleries.
President, Norton Women’s and Kosair Children’s Hospital
What motivated you to keep learning when you were young?
My dad always said, “The sky’s the limit — you can have anything you want as long as you’re willing to work for it.” And my mom, when things would start to get harder and harder in school, would say, “You know how to do that. You’re smart.” So I’d think, ‘OK, she said I’m smart, so I must be able to figure this out.’ I guess my parents knew how to motivate me, but then as an adult you have the opportunity to make decisions for yourself. And you’ve decided to keep learning. You’re currently pursuing your doctorate degree. I like to learn, and
education is very important to me. I want to be a doctorate of nursing. People ask me, “What do you need that for?” and it’s just that you don’t start something and not finish it, and it can’t hurt me to have more education. Where do you find the time? It’s probably something genetic, because I really don’t need a lot of sleep, and I don’t like to waste time. Also, I have a remarkable support system. My husband is there, and I have four awesome kids — three sons and a daughter — and they’ve loved being part of that process. How did you do it — work and school — when your children were young? I’m
not unique; women do that all the time. You just do what you have to do. I always look for a silver lining, and when I was studying and reading, my kids would say, “OK, we’re going to read, too.” So they’ve all done extremely well and value education. During the time I was divorced and sometimes worked doing pediatric home health, my two oldest sons would be there with me — you could bring your kids along at that time — and my oldest son would be by my side, watching, and my second oldest would have his head in a book. And interestingly, my oldest son is in health care now, and my middle son is in law school. So they’ve taken something from these experiences, too. What do you do to relax and take care of yourself? Honestly, I think that laughter is the
best medicine. We have a blast at my house. We also reflect a lot about thinking positive. I always tell my kids, “You have plan A, B, and C. You never let plan A going awry stop you. You always have an alternative plan because life is what you make it, and you’re the only one responsible for your happiness.” How would you describe yourself?
Well, there’s got to be a word for “not normal.” I am a rule-follower, but a risk-taker. I’m probably the ultimate optimist. Fun-loving, free-spirited — I don’t think I’ve ever met someone I couldn’t find some way to like and have fun with. And I’m very driven. Impatient and driven don’t typically go together, but that’s who I am. I just can’t waste a minute of the day. Being very driven and being the ultimate optimist — it’s served me very well to be that way. And I’m very persistent. And not shy!
Hometown: Floyds Knobs, Ind. Unexpected tidbit: In 2005, Charlotte started a small trucking business from the ground up and obtained a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise and Women’s Business Entity status — “Because they said I couldn’t.” Professional recognition: The American Hospital Association appointed Charlotte as its representative to the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Hospital Care for the 2012 to 2014 term. Hobbies include: Reading — “I’ll do something educational, then do a trashy novel” — and dancing. “I used to dance in high school. But I don’t dance in public, just at home with my kids.”