JOGNN
EDITORIAL
Championing Your Passion hen you read this, we will be approaching the end of another year. Although I am not accustomed to making New Year’s resolutions, the end of one year and the beginning of the next is a time for reflection on many levels. During your moments of reflection, I invite you to think about your passion as a nurse and what motivates you in our profession of service to others. I ask you to consider how your passion is evidenced in your practice and how your practice can be revitalized by championing the core values of promoting the health of women, newborns, and families.
W
Nancy K. Lowe Editor
Champions are all around us, and our modern world is full of “championship” games, series, and awards. However, recognition as a champion, someone at the top of her or his game, and the activity of championing are somewhat different. To champion an idea or a cause is actively to bring it to the attention of others, often repeatedly, and to work to change whatever is operating against it in an institution or society. Undoubtedly, the most effective championing occurs when the champion has an unwavering passion for the idea or cause. Such champions often inspire others and serve as guides and supporters for those who follow. This past year, maternity and women’s health care lost one of its champions, Doris Haire, at age 88. According to Cindy Pearson, the executive director of the National Women’s Health Network, Mrs. Haire “was a champion of women’s right to give birth safely, humanely, and without being exposed to unnecessary procedures that might risk their baby’s wellbeing” (Pearson, 2014). Mrs. Haire was an international advocate of parental involvement
http://jognn.awhonn.org
in maternity care. She played a crucial role in promoting the acceptance of fathers into delivery rooms in the 1960s and 1970s and the implementation of rooming-in in U.S. hospitals. Doris Haire’s passion and clarity of thought inspired me as a young labor and delivery nurse when I read her books Implementing Family-Centered Maternity Care with a Central Nursery (Haire & Haire, 1968) and The Cultural Warping of Childbirth (Haire, 1972). Hearing her speak and these books were among the influences that pushed me to graduate school to improve my own skills and to advance my passion as a nurse and subsequently as a nurse-midwife. As a nurse, being a champion of your passion for women, newborns, and their families will make a difference in the experience of the recipients of your care, the quality of care within your practice setting, the initiatives of your professional organizations, and public policy within your state or the nation. Your passion may also inspire young nurses you have yet to meet to embrace their own passions in nursing. The “circle of life” in providing care with compassion and integrity is dependent on the heritage of leaders who tirelessly championed the cause.
REFERENCES Haire, D. (1972). The cultural warping of childbirth. Raleigh, NC: International Childbirth Education Association. Haire, D., & Haire, J. (1968). Implementing family-centered maternity care with a central nursery. Raleigh, NC: International Childbirth Education Association. Pearson, C. (2014, June 12). In memory of Doris Haire. National Women’s Health Network. Retrieved from https://nwhn.org/ 2014/06/12/memory-doris-haire
C 2014 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
683
EDITORIAL
Championing Your Passion hen you read this, we will be approaching the end of another year. Although I am not accustomed to making New Year’s resolutions, the end of one year and the beginning of the next is a time for reflection on many levels. During your moments of reflection, I invite you to think about your passion as a nurse and what motivates you in our profession of service to others. I ask you to consider how your passion is evidenced in your practice and how your practice can be revitalized by championing the core values of promoting the health of women, newborns, and families.
W
Nancy K. Lowe Editor
Champions are all around us, and our modern world is full of “championship” games, series, and awards. However, recognition as a champion, someone at the top of her or his game, and the activity of championing are somewhat different. To champion an idea or a cause is actively to bring it to the attention of others, often repeatedly, and to work to change whatever is operating against it in an institution or society. Undoubtedly, the most effective championing occurs when the champion has an unwavering passion for the idea or cause. Such champions often inspire others and serve as guides and supporters for those who follow. This past year, maternity and women’s health care lost one of its champions, Doris Haire, at age 88. According to Cindy Pearson, the executive director of the National Women’s Health Network, Mrs. Haire “was a champion of women’s right to give birth safely, humanely, and without being exposed to unnecessary procedures that might risk their baby’s wellbeing” (Pearson, 2014). Mrs. Haire was an international advocate of parental involvement
http://jognn.awhonn.org
in maternity care. She played a crucial role in promoting the acceptance of fathers into delivery rooms in the 1960s and 1970s and the implementation of rooming-in in U.S. hospitals. Doris Haire’s passion and clarity of thought inspired me as a young labor and delivery nurse when I read her books Implementing Family-Centered Maternity Care with a Central Nursery (Haire & Haire, 1968) and The Cultural Warping of Childbirth (Haire, 1972). Hearing her speak and these books were among the influences that pushed me to graduate school to improve my own skills and to advance my passion as a nurse and subsequently as a nurse-midwife. As a nurse, being a champion of your passion for women, newborns, and their families will make a difference in the experience of the recipients of your care, the quality of care within your practice setting, the initiatives of your professional organizations, and public policy within your state or the nation. Your passion may also inspire young nurses you have yet to meet to embrace their own passions in nursing. The “circle of life” in providing care with compassion and integrity is dependent on the heritage of leaders who tirelessly championed the cause.
REFERENCES Haire, D. (1972). The cultural warping of childbirth. Raleigh, NC: International Childbirth Education Association. Haire, D., & Haire, J. (1968). Implementing family-centered maternity care with a central nursery. Raleigh, NC: International Childbirth Education Association. Pearson, C. (2014, June 12). In memory of Doris Haire. National Women’s Health Network. Retrieved from https://nwhn.org/ 2014/06/12/memory-doris-haire
C 2014 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
683
