“Bernice is an embodiment of the Kaiser Permanente mission. Even with her ever-increasing responsibilities, she never backs away from rolling up her sleeves to help lend a hand on the floor, or making time to mentor and guide us, while also leading the various committees she is a part of,” said Tseganesh Tamrat, RN, staff nurse II, medical surgical, San Jose Medical Center.
Bernice Yale, BSN, RN is the San Jose nurse manager of the medical surgical unit and was named as a 2024 Kaiser Foundation Hospitals Nurse Leader of the Year. She has been with Kaiser Permanente for 26 years.
Inspiration for Nursing
Bernice was inspired to become a nurse after admiring all the hard work that her mother did as a Licensed Vocational Nurse.
“I became a caregiver at the age of 13 for my neighbor who lived down the street. She was disabled and eventually became dependent on a ventilator,” said Yale. “I learned how to not only be like a certified nursing assistant type of caregiver, but also how to advocate for her. As I saw how physical therapists and nurses came and took care of her, and that also inspired me to become a nurse.”
Now, her team inspires her. “They lift me up – if I ask them for things, they say, we’ll do it for you. We share a vision of having a unit that is well-run, clean, with so many wonderful caregivers, who are really passionate about what they do,” she shared.
Leading with Purpose
“I like to lead with passion. When I come to work, I show up for work, ready to do the best job that I can,” said Yale. “I like to hire a team that is caring and compassionate and not task oriented. Clinical expertise is important to me. However, the way we bond with our patients is also important, and I’d like to lead with care and show that I care for my team so that they can care for their patients.”
“She never talks at us, rather she converses with us, involves us in decision making and leads by example,” added Tamrat. “Through her actions reminds us that every patient on the unit is the responsibility of every nurse she constantly creates a safe work environment for everyone.
Delivering Care Excellence
Bernice shares that extraordinary nursing means that you give it your all. “You show up to take care of that patient who is number one. You not only taken care of the patient, but you might also be taking care of the family and handling whatever concerns that they have because they’re ultimately going to be bringing that patient home.”