You know you’re working in a broken system...

But healthcare's problems are daunting, and you don’t know where to start.

What if you could...

  • See complex problems clearly

    Go beyond the 'bandaid' fixes to address the deeper problem.

  • Emerge as a trusted leader

    When you speak, people listen.

  • Know you're making an impact

    Pave a better future for the patients + care teams who follow.

Say Goodbye to

👋🏽  Bringing concerns to your leaders just to hear crickets *chirp chirp chirp*

👋🏽  Silently fuming while organizations slap bandaid fixes on symptoms of deeper disease

👋🏽  Late nights scrolling #NurseTok - which rile you up but give you no actionable strategies

👋🏽  Feeling overwhelmed + defeated by the scale of problems you're up against

👋🏽  Guilting yourself for not doing 'more'...while not knowing what that would even look like

👋🏽  Praying for answers - and hope - to fall in your lap

Say HELLO to

📣  Speaking the language of systems to hold your leaders' attention - and hold them accountable

🙋🏻‍♀️  Guiding your team to see problems in new ways + create solutions that last

🛌  Resting easy knowing you are taking strategic action to support your profession

🥳  Feeling purposeful + energized among a community of fellow change makers

🌈  Focusing your passion for progress into goals that fit into the bigger vision you have for your life

✨  Knowing you have the skills to overcome obstacles and generate your own hope

What You'll Learn

  • Society + Its Structures

    Before you can change the world, you need to know how it works. Why do you believe what you do? What role does power play in your organization? How does your environment affect your behavior?

  • Systems Thinking

    There's a lot more to the world than meets the eye. Systems thinking helps you make sense of this complexity. It helps you see the leverage points for making change.

  • Reimagining Change

    Conventional ideas about change are mostly wrong. Expose the 9 pervasive change myths and avoid harmful, costly mistakes. Instead, map a productive way forward.

  • Personal Mastery

    You are your most valuable change making asset. Use the CARVE Your Path framework to identify your values, analyze your assets, and envision your personal contribution as a change maker.

  • Your Development Plan

    Becoming a change maker is a lifelong journey. This is where you start. You'll walk forward with a personalized development map to guide your future steps.

Hey, I'm Dr. Claire Phillips

ER Nurse-turned-Healthcare Change Specialist. And your instructor inside CME.

I've got great news! You don't need to spend 10 years of your life studying sociology, systems thinking, and leadership. I've done that for you. I have distilled the key principles of change making into a 10-week course for healthcare pro's. You don't need fluff; you need the ESSENTIALS. You - yes, YOU - can become the change maker we desperately need.

After working with dozens of healthcare professionals in personal coaching and hundreds more on the frontline, I have heard over and over again how desperately you want a deeper understanding of systems + how to actually fix them. I created CME to specifically fill this gap. 


For too long, healthcare pro's have been overlooked as change makers. We have a responsibility to our patients and our communities to step into this role.  We have a responsibility to make sure we are up to the task. And we don't have time to waste.

If making change was easy, everyone would do it. Bye-bye, climate change. Hello, affordable healthcare! But the reality is we're dealing with complex challenges that require a different way of thinking: systems thinking.

This course is no easy fix. It offers no cookie-cutter solution. Instead, you'll learn a process to leverage the most powerful change asset you have: yourself.

You can spend years in the classroom + thousands of dollars in tuition... or you can join us for 10 weeks.

No other program condenses 4 different disciplines into a single course for emerging change makers. And you don't have time to waste.

Join today!

Maybe you're wondering: Is healthcare change even possible? 🤔

To that I can say: "ABSOLUTELY - with your help."

Look, I'm a realist, too. You don't lead an ER during COVID without realizing how much work we need to do. I don't believe a revolution or magical solution or hero is coming. If we're going to heal our social systems, it's going to be consistent, deliberate work.

But what I DO believe in is the very practical tool of systems thinking. Right now, we have 99% of folks who think about problems conventionally. Meaning:

  • We oversimplify
  • We invest in stupid strategies
  • We waste our time
  • And then we get discouraged


This is because our whole approach to problem-solving is wrong. But as more of us become systems thinkers and that number drops down from 99% to 75% to 50%...we'll see a shift in our success. 

You have a vital role in healing our system.

It's time you start working smarter not harder. Lord knows you've got enough on your plate.

From a graduate 🎓

"I have done health system management courses, program evaluation courses, and change theory courses in the past. But this course has actually given me more practical tools to identify system challenges and work to change them within a complex system.

"CME has more value than many certification programs out there."

- Bianca, RN

Ready to make the change you *actually* want to see?

And experience the professional success that comes along with that? When you're an effective Change Maker, people notice.

Join the May cohort

Course Format

This is not another lecture series. Here you will learn AND do.

  • Self-Study Modules

    Work at your own pace through 33 video lessons - none longer than 30 minutes.

  • Case Studies + Activities

    Practice what you learn with real-life and fictional case studies. Use your new skills. Address the problems you care about. You customize learning activities to support the change you need to make.

  • Community Discussion

    Get to know your fellow learners during biweekly office hour calls. Talk through complex concepts. Hear about others' challenges. Expand your perception of what's possible.

  • Live Instructor Support

    Bring your questions and ideas to Claire during office hours. Get personalized feedback. Overcome obstacles. Be encouraged and feed your motivation.

What our students are saying:

“This is an INCREDIBLE amount of information that is presented the most clearly that I can imagine. If you are interested in systems thinking, systems change, or honestly just want to be a little bit of a better person - you'll find this course massively helpful.”

Kati, RN

“While taking CME, I was pleasantly surprised at how accessible systems thinking was. Dr. Claire made it easy to learn and internalize. She not only lectured clearly through on-demand lessons, but also had several office hours sessions. I felt glad and relieved that the knowledge taught and skills practiced in the course reduced my overwhelm. I feel at peace that I can now honor the complexity of the situations I face, and then find creativity and excitement in the many ways to grow and change.”

Andrea, MSN RN

“I enjoyed and learned so much from Change Maker Essentials. The course content was both interesting and practical and always presented in an engaging matter. I am excited to take what I learned and apply it to real-life scenarios. I feel better prepared to make change. I would definitely take another Nursing the System course.”

Bianca Williams, RN

“I've had so many breakthroughs & inspiring ideas come to me on how I can make intentional progress forward with my own personal goals as well as my desire to contribute positively & impactfully through systems change. Your teachings really helped me to deconstruct the problems & ideas I'm passionate about so I can figure out how to best move forward!”

RN

“I really enjoyed this course. The first five weeks explained system thinking and its importance in society. Weeks 6 - 8 talked about Change Myths and how to push back on these myths in the workplace. The last 2 weeks focused on developing resilience so change makers can stay in the game! Such a fabulous course and Claire does a great job explaining complex concepts.”

Kaylee RN

“This class was incredibly helpful as a newer leader. Having tools I can take with me and use to work towards a solution helps relieve pressure and stress. Office hours were great to hear what other nurse leaders are facing and working on as well. I will definitely be looking back on these lessons for help in the future. ”

Jennifer, RN

"What if I'm not a formal leader - and don't have plans to be?"

Leadership is a ROLE, not a specific position.

I strongly believe ANYONE has the capacity to lead change, no matter where they sit on an org chart. 

In my experience, nurses + our healthcare pro colleagues struggle to step into the role of Change Maker - not because we aren't wildly capable, but because we have a limited vision of what's possible for ourselves.

It's hard to imagine what our Change Maker contribution might look like when all we really see is the traditional bedside-to-hospital leadership pipeline. (Not that there is anything wrong with these positions. I've been in this pipe myself!) 

In reality, there is a world rich with opportunity for nurses who are looking to make systems change. We will explore this world together inside CME.

No matter where your professional journey takes you - the frontline, hospital leadership, academia, political office, entrepreneurship, public health - the skills of systems thinking, change leadership, and personal mastery will serve you well. In fact, I would argue they're *essential*. 😉

Enrollment is currently closed.

CME only opens a few times a year. Don't miss the next enrollment period!

Get me on the waitlist!
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FAQ

  • How much does this cost?

    CME is $697. There is also a 3-month payment plan available if you prefer. CME offers 16 hours of university-level coursework - and a significant transformation - for a fraction of the cost. If you'd like to enroll multiple team members in CME, please email contact@nursingthesystem.com for information on our group rates!

  • What's the time commitment?

    Students who complete the course in 10 weeks report spending about 1.5-2.5 hours per week. CME is designed for adult learners; you choose which activities to spend more time on.

  • Will I get access to future updates to the course?

    You sure will. CME - like any good change initiative - is constantly iterating + improving. As a CME student, you will have lifetime access to the course + all its of its growing resources.

  • Do I have to finish the course in 10 weeks?

    Nope! CME is set up, so you can go at your own pace. However, you will only have office hour support during the 10 weeks after enrollment.

  • Do I need to have a specific systems change project?

    No! During the course, I'll ask you to select a complex systems challenge [which I'll explain inside] to use during future case studies - but it can be purely for practice. This course is NOT designed to help you lead a specific change initiative. It instead trains you how to THINK + APPROACH problems before you select a particular solution.

  • I'm not a healthcare professional...can I take this course?

    Actually, yes! If you have a heart for improving people's lives and want to make an impact in your workplace or your world, ya sure can. Many examples and case studies throughout the course are in healthcare settings, but quite a few are not! The world is not divided into artificial boundaries (health topic vs. not health topic), and the course reflects that.

  • I'm not sure if it's the right time for me. Can I take CME later?

    You can. CME is here for the long-haul. But I'd like you to ask yourself: Will life really ever slow down? For some of you, yes. You've got a newborn; you're up all night and working full time. But for some of us, it won't. Life will stay busy, time will pass, and it will never quite feel like the ‘right time’ to invest in a professional transformation. Instead, what would it mean to commit to yourself and your future as a change maker? To put your flag in the sand and say, “Today, right here, I start my change making journey.” I bet it would feel pretty freaking good.

  • I'm torn between taking CME + signing up for your 1:1 personal coaching. What should I do?

    Don't be. The curriculum inside CME is SO foundational that I require all of my coaching clients to take it before - or in conjunction with - personal coaching. (CME will also be a pre-requisite for future change maker programs I plan to release.) If you're interested in bundling personal coaching with CME (for a discount), reach out to me at contact@nursingthesystem.com.

  • Do I get CE credit hours for completing Change Maker Essentials?

    If you are an RN, yes! Nursing the System is a licensed continuing education provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # 17784 , for 12 CE contact hours.

Choose How You Pay

No matter how you choose to pay, the experience remains the same.

For Organizations

We offer group enrollment pricing!

If you would like to license this program for groups of employees at a discounted rate, please email us at contact@nursingthesystem.com.