Evelyn Gonzalez-Morlote, MSN, RN, BC, and her brother essentially grew up in hospitals. The siblings, born with sickle cell anemia, received regular compassionate care at the hands of nurses - something that impressed Gonzalez-Morlote even as a young child.

"My brother had a stroke when he was young, and he went blind. He recovered, but it was the loving care of all the nurses that pulled him and our family through that difficult situation," she recalled.

Strong Background

Gonzalez-Morlote, now a talent manager at Miami Children's Hospital, began her nursing career working nights in a subacute care center in Connecticut. Her path led her to work with HIV/AIDS patients, run an adult asthma program through local community health centers and serve as a consultant to help nursing homes prepare for state agency surveys.

She eventually entered nurse recruitment and retention, and works extensively in her role as a South Florida healthcare recruiter to draw and retain qualified nurses. The Miami nurse has expanded her efforts since she joined Miami Children's, focusing on healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines.

Recruitment & Retention

Gonzalez-Morlote's efforts have extended to leading the South Florida Association of Heathcare Recruiters and serving on the board of the Nursing Consortium of South Florida.

In both capacities, she has collaborated with other nursing professionals to share best practices and find solutions to address the region's nursing shortage and affordable housing crunch.

"We have to work together to figure out how we can all benefit from one another's experiences," she said.

Gonzalez-Morlote finds her nursing background especially helpful in her role in human resources administration.

"In order to make positive changes for nursing departments - including recruiting and retaining RNs - you need to have someone in the [HR department] who speaks the language," she said.