Javaluyas Chooses to Inspire Change Rather than Mandate Change

Emmanuel O. Javaluyas, DNP, APRN, NE-BC, has built a respected career as Director of Nursing at Houston Methodist Hospital for areas including Jones 10, the in-patient unit of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Recognized for his leadership and commitment to quality and safety, he emphasizes inspiring change rather than mandating change. “So often, change is spelled out in meetings and expected to be implemented as designed.

Emmanuel O. Javaluyas DNP, APRN, NE-BC

However, it may not always work. I would rather inspire the change that is needed rather than force it. We always need to connect to a larger purpose and meaningful goals. Creating leaders at the bedside is very important to empower and engage our team,” he said. “As a leader, you define your purpose and you share it with your team and inspire them to do the best they can do, be the best version of themselves. At the same time, you show them how to connect it to a common vision and goal,” he said.

With more than 30 years of nursing—25 at Houston Methodist—Javaluyas has overseen operations on multiple units, improved patient care processes and fostered staff development through education and mentoring. His background includes being nurse manager for hepatology and liver transplant when the program was started. “All of my learning and experience comes from taking care of complex cases. This is what interests me – service, quality and safety. I want to study and incorporate best practices to complex surgical cases for best results,” he said, adding he has seen the growth of more challenging and life-saving surgeries in the ENT department over the last two years.

“I learn every day from every patient encounter. They have my genuine presence; they have me 100 percent,” he said. “I see opportunity to improve patient care and ensure patient safety in every situation, always enhancing and complimenting the work of nurses and doctors to deliver the best care.” Javaluyas started his career in his native Philippines where early experiences with underserved populations shaped his compassionate approach to nursing. He later adapted quickly to U.S. healthcare, advancing into leadership roles such as charge nurse and clinical manager.

Interestingly, I grew up without much interest in the medical field although I come from a family of doctors, nurses and pharmacists. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but I learned my interest was and is in people. And, in medicine, I can do the most help, the very quickest.

Emmanuel O. Javaluyas, DNP, APRN, NE-BC

He came to Houston Methodist’s Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in 2020 and was there during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, instead of slowing down, he took advantage of some of the uncertain times created by the pandemic. Javaluyas prioritized innovation and developed unit-based training to support staff growth and resilience. “For me it was new and challenging to move from a different specialty (hepatology and liver transplant) to ENT surgery. At the same time, it was the pandemic. I thought, ‘OK, we can’t stop the world because of the pandemic. We have patients to take care of.” “It was a new role and a new world experience. The pandemic was very scary for everybody, but I thought it should not be like that for our patients. We have our own fear and anxiety, but I had to take responsibility for being the leader of our unit. I had to live with my faith that, as a team, we can do it,” he said. “Fresh ideas, new things bring excitement. Having that kind of high spirit gets your team, moving and doing some things differently. It shows in our patient outcomes.” Jones 10 has been consistently on target or superior in quality, safety and service metrics, ensuring that patients are provided unparalleled care during their hospitalization. Even during the peak of pandemic, with an education specialist, they came up with a unit-based curriculum with online modules to train nurses. They still use some of the modules even though they have formal classes and training to continue developing nurses to be leaders at the bedside. “Instead of them worrying and getting stagnant, this triggered a lot of critical thinking and innovative ideas. We wanted to train people to be leaders,” he said. A strong believer in lifelong learning, he holds advanced degrees from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), where he received his doctorate in clinical and organizational leadership. Javaluyas encourages his team to continue their education, use technology wisely, integrate it into practice and become leaders themselves. Honored with multiple awards—including Premier Recognition in the Specialty of Medical-Surgical Nursing for clinical excellence, patient outcomes, and healthy work environment; Good Samaritan Foundation for excellence in leadership; and induction into the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society—Javaluyas is known for his transformational and servant leadership style. He remains dedicated to hands-on patient care, continuous improvement, and inspiring both colleagues and future nurses to strive for excellence. “I love learning. I love to explore new things. With my long career, I can get into a point where I get a little bored, but I don’t let that happen. I’ll be sure I embark on something different and interesting; I always like to learn and show something innovative to my team. I am always looking for something new and possibly better to make their jobs more efficient, care delivery more effective, and patient outcomes to be nothing but excellent.”