40 Years of Care, Love, and Change: Meet Dr. Audrey Frison-Robinson the Nurse at the Table
By Lacrystele Brown
FWIS Contributing Writer
In March we celebrate women. We celebrate our history, all that we are, all that we’ve done, and all that we will continue to do and be in the future. Dr. Audrey Frison-Robinson has left her mark in history with all that she has accomplished during her 40 years with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Born in Benham, Kentucky, Frison-Robinson grew up a small-town girl. Her father was a coal miner, and her mother was a caregiver and housekeeper. Frison-Robinson's parents worked hard so that she and her siblings would achieve college degrees. Her parents did everything they could to ensure their children’s success and their hard work and dedication to their family shows through the lives of their children.
Frison-Robinson chose to become a nurse because her mother was a caregiver and wanted to become a nurse, but she was never able to due to lack of opportunities for African American women in the mid 1900s. Frison-Robinson and her sister would grow to love helping others and this would lead them to their mother’s dream. Frison-Robinson’s sister would be the first to become a nurse and Frison-Robinson would follow in her footsteps.
Frison-Robinson attended Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky and graduated with her B.S. in Nursing. After graduation, she worked as a med surg nurse in Dayton, Ohio. After a few years of working, Frison-Robinson became frustrated with the administration and decided she needed to be a part of making the decisions that were impacting nurses. She understood that as a nurse leader, she would have the opportunity to evaluate the voices of the nurses and support the patients and community they served.
Frison-Robinson’s goal was never to become a nurse executive. She really wanted to be the medical center Chief Executive Officer (CEO). When she was at Xavier University getting her Masters in Hospital and Health Administration, she told her husband, Earl, that she wanted to focus her career on administration. While pursuing her masters, Frison-Robinson went to Ann Arbor VHA for her residency, as part of her masters’ curriculum. This experience solidified her desire to further her career in administration as she supported broad, medical center initiatives and learned from experienced leaders. She decided to go to Ann Arbor because the University of Michigan is recognized for their extensive healthcare library in the Midwest and this resource would be value - added in her thesis completion.
After Frison-Robinson completed her masters, she secured a fellowship with the Veterans Administration (VA). This is a two-year program exposed her to not only healthcare, but it also gave her opportunities to see other government facilities in cities such as Washington DC and Baltimore to increase her understanding of the operations within VA, the government and how these organizations integrate to a system.
In her 40 year career with the VA, Frison-Robinson worked in several areas. She started in Ann Arbor and transitioned to other VA facilities in Indianapolis, Dayton, Marion, and Fort Wayne. Frison-Robinson and her family moved to Fort Wayne after her husband’s job transitioned to the city. Frison-Robinson transferred to the Fort Wayne VHA location and continued her path to become a CEO. After being in Fort Wayne, VHA decided to integrate with the Marian, Indiana location becoming the first in the organization’s history. During the integration of Marion and Fort Wayne,
Frison-Robinson’s supervisor asked her to assist the organization during this transition. As such, she would support as the acting Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at the Fort Wayne location because this position would remain vacant until post integration. Frison-Robinson had supported other interim positions in her career, such as Chief of Food and Nutrition, Chief of Quality and the Chief of Environmental Management. All of these positions would help her on her journey to becoming a CEO.
During her time as acting, she believed it would be best if she applied for the position to help continue to support the nursing and the organization. Frison-Robinson stayed in the role of CNO for approximately 25 years. She was blessed to be supported by great mentors, coaches, and supervisors, most of whom were white men as she was often the only professional woman in the executive suite and the only African American woman. In these instances, Frison-Robinson listened and spoke with confidence and knowledge as observation and execution were her strengths. With that, Frison Robinson acknowledged that being the only woman at the table was sometimes lonely and stressful, and God supplied her with the strength to preserve.
Frison-Robinson has many great stories about her time in the VA. One such story was how she influenced the CEO to develop a workforce development manager. This manager would support the organization with career development, succession planning and employment engagement. In this situation, Frison - Robinson leveraged her voice to recommend a process that was supported with data and best practices which led to a positive outcome for the organization.
During her VA tenure, Frison-Robinson most enjoyed caring for veterans and her staff. Hearing Frison-Robinson talk about how she wanted to take care of the veterans because of all they have done for our country to keep us safe warmed my heart. You could hear the love and compassion she has for our veterans in her voice. It was refreshing to hear that she really cared for them and wanted them to receive the best healthcare possible when in the hands of her staff. She built great relationships with her staff, and did her best to make sure everyone felt valued and heard. Frison - Robinson was able to mentor and help many nurses and other staff to assist them with their career goals. She also stressed the importance of family and supported her staff in putting their families first.
I asked Frison-Robinson which change she was most proud to be a part of and which VHA location was her favorite and she stated that it was the integration and increasing the services to help serve and meet the clinical needs of Veterans. Also she was pleased with supporting the increased opportunities for staff in the area of workforce development and supporting succession planning. Frison-Robinson also discussed that she enjoyed all of the facilities she worked at for different reasons but that if she had to choose her favorite VHA location, it would be Fort Wayne and Dayton.
Frison-Robinson spent seven months at the end of her career in Detroit serving as the interim CNO before she returned home and soon after retired. Frison-Robinson is enjoying her retirement. Frison - Robinson and husband, Earl, have 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 1 great - grandchild. She plans to spend time with her grandchildren and supporting their various activities. Frison-Robinson also plans to volunteer to help children with reading and literacy skills. Frison-Robinson plans to consult, teach at the master’s level as well as get more involved in the community. She has many goals on her retirement bucket list, and she’s excited to start checking things off after she takes a little time to relax.
I asked Frison-Robinson what advice she has for others who want to advance in their careers but are scared to take the step or those who have been offered an opportunity outside of their plan and she simply answered, “pray and obtain the knowledge, skills and education to continue to grow and be successful”. She went on to say “don’t be afraid to apply for the positions that you want and be calculated with your goals. If you really want it and you are passionate about it don’t give up just because you failed once, get up and keep pushing towards your dreams”.
Frison-Robinson shared that God will get you through any and everything. She even shared that her routine has been to get up in the morning and meditate and pray to clear her head for the day and prepare her mind, body, and soul for anything she may encounter. She went on to say she could not have made it as far as she did in her career without God, prayer, faith and a very supportive husband, family, colleagues and friends.
Throughout our interview Frison-Robinson spoke of her family many times. Her children, her parents, her siblings, and her husband hold a special place in her heart. She let me know how grateful she was for her children and her husband. She spoke of her children in a way that let me know they are the light of her world. It was truly amazing to hear her family’s story and how much she loves them.
At the end of our interview Frison-Robinson shared with me a breathtaking poem she had written. I was both thankful and honored that she was open to sharing it. Frison-Robinson is truly a force. During a month when we celebrate women it is an honor to tell the story of such a phenomenal woman.