THE BACK PAGE
Past Presidents - Legacies of Caring and Commitment Chris Price, MSN, RN, CPAN, CAPA I GREW UP reading of the adventures of Cherry Ames – a series of books for young adults written from 1943 to 1968. A fictional character, but none the less an inspiring one, Cherry Ames was a Student Nurse, Senior Nurse, Army Nurse, Chief Nurse, Flight Nurse, Veteran’s Nurse, Private Duty Nurse, and Staff Nurse. Reading about her life and career choice helped affirm my decision to embrace this profession. She could have been the ultimate recruiter for the profession because as her career grew, she did as well, taking a variety of different paths (Cruise Ship Nurse, Dude Ranch Nurse, Department Store Nurse, Jungle Nurse, Island Nurse, and ultimately, Ski Nurse). So many choices for such a life’s work! I soon learned of the history of nursing and of the men and women who practiced nursing throughout the ages, up to and including the birth of modern nursing. As I entered high school, I was even more determined to make that critical difference that professional nurses made, through war and peace time, in the community, regionally, nationally, and internationally. My father, husband, and son-in-law collectively served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. I owe their well-being to professional nurses. Nurses are the real heroes.
that gaining as much experience and knowledge from those who had practiced for years before me was paramount to the ability to contribute to the professional. I have witnessed no less than miraculous and skilled competency and caring. I wanted to be that kind of nurse, and nurses remained my heroes. Having worked in the acute care clinical setting my entire career, I see, hear and can bear witness to what nursing heroes do. I remain awed and inspired.
Once a practicing professional, but still quite the novice, I knew I had a great deal to learn, and
Once I was confident clinically and growing more professionally, I realized that the impacts of education and a specialty organization were strong contributors to expertise even beyond my own comfort zone and clinical world. I learned that one is a product of the company they keep. I worked to assure that I ‘‘kept company’’ with nursing colleagues who were the experts–active and contributing in an even more significant way in their professional organization.
The ideas or opinions expressed in this editorial are those solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASPAN, the Journal, or the Publisher. Chris Price, MSN, RN, MSN, CPAN, CAPA is a past President (2011-2012) for the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses. She recently retired from Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover and Milford, Delaware, where she worked for 36 years, with 24 years as a Director of Perioperative Services. She and her husband are in the process of relocating to Florida. She is currently a member of the JoPAN Editorial Advisory Board. Address correspondence to Chris Price, 4080 Willey Drive, Townsend, DE 19734; e-mail address: [email protected]. Ó 2016 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses 1089-9472/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2016.06.001
364
I owe so much to nursing colleagues who cared for me, my children, my parents, my grandchildren, and other family members. Like so many of you, I know what it means firsthand to be part of such life experiences as birth and death, being an advocate so a patient does not feel isolated and alone. I have experienced practice decisions that helped to save a life, prolonged a life until a loved one was present, and also have had those same experiences given to me by my colleagues in turn. I knew that the bedside nurse was a hero and soon learned that the nurses who worked in management, staff and patient education, quality improvement, academics, and risk management were as well.
This link to a professional organization really broadened my horizons. I wanted to be like the nurses in the Chesapeake Bay Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses–these nursing heroes were active regionally and nationally, had achieved specialty certification, and advanced their education to
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 31, No 4 (August), 2016: pp 364-366
365
THE BACK PAGE
BSN and MSN. I attended my first ASPAN National Conference in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. I met ASPAN Presidents, Jean Sutton and Ann Allen, and other ASPAN leaders. I found them interested, supportive, nurturing, generous with their knowledge to their fellow colleagues, inspirational, and passionate not only about the practice of nursing, but also about the real impact they chose to make in their daily practice. I had met my next set of Nursing Heroes – and I was forever changed for the better. I took accountability and responsibility for my own practice. I became more active in the CBSPAN, served on the Representative Assembly, and began committee work nationally. As a component president, I learned that my role and function was to serve the interests and support informed decisions at the Representative Assembly, for our component members, and ultimately, our patients. Because of these CBSPAN heroes, I took the steps to achieve CPAN certification, a BSN, an MSN, and CAPA certification. What an example they had set for me. I am proud to have sat in the first gallery of the representative assembly that was opened up to membership by Lisa Jeran. I met JoPAN editors and Breathline editors. At each national conference I saw old friends and met new ones – presidents, board members, candidates, editors, past presidents, historians, the parliamentarian, national office members, and the ASPAN CEO, all of whom shared a common core purpose – their passion and support of the perianesthesia specialty. I was privy to great accomplishments and challenges – indeed - I kept the very best company! I have proudly read every Breathline, Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, and President’s Message since 1988, when I first started in this specialty. I learned that all of our nursing colleagues and members have a voice, and once executed, participate in developing perianesthesia practice at district, component, regional, national, and international levels. As described by Heifetz and Laurie1 in The Work of Leadership, ASPAN Presidents and their Boards faced many challenges in an effort to remain attuned and current during their terms. They are charged and challenged to make as needed:
‘‘adaptive challenges, changes in the society, markets, customers, competition, and global technologies. These outside influences forced the organization to clarify strategies, develop strategies and learn new ways of operating.’’1 Each ASPAN President has a unique and wellthought-out message and/or a vision – and as a member, I so wanted to aspire to what my professional organizations’ leadership envisioned and encouraged me to be. It was both personal and professional to me as nursing clinician, family and patient advocate/educator, novice researcher, and confirmed colleague. From the very beginning, I believed that the person elected as ASPAN President realized and kept a ‘‘sacred trust’’ to bring a passion for practice and their own unique style to add to the richness of work/mission of the society – to move perianesthesia nursing forward. I knew that the ASPAN President understood and held close this obligation for the membership as well as the specialty practice. I believed that they paved the way for assurance that the journey would also continue for future generations of perianesthesia nurses and any identified or uncertain issues that would potentially face our practice. I saw each sitting ASPAN President as the ASPAN Chief Nurse Executive (CNE), assuring that the Board of Directors never lost sight of ASPAN’s Core Purpose, Core Values and Compelling Vision. I believed them to be the ultimate point person, with support of the parliamentarian and national office staff, flawlessly keeping the Board to remain on focus for the work of the society. In a sense, the National President belongs to the membership and is elected to represent them and the specialty, the Districts and Components, and for perianesthesia practice, education and research issues. They are at the helm of a vital dynamic organization in a significant and progressive role. Seen as integral part of ASPAN’s history, they are valued resources, colleagues, confidants, and role models to any given member. They remain so even after their terms have been served. Not unlike our national political leaders, once they become Past Presidents, by virtue of their
366
CHRIS PRICE
roles, they are loyal to and still continue to support the work of society. ASPAN and its members value their loyalty and contributions. A price cannot be put on the benefit of experience, diplomacy, tact, enhanced communication skills, and expertise in negotiating challenges, many of which have been handled in a loving and caring way for any variety of situations during their terms. They are seen as extraordinary mentors and valued colleagues. Many Past Presidents remain active – and although they are no longer a sitting board or representative assembly member, their support is vital to the organization. They are active and supportive of their components and regions. Many participate as mentors for ASPAN’s Emerging Leaders Program to nurture and develop others with a vision for motivating, guiding and encouraging others, and recognizing the importance of establishing/maintaining that initiative. At National Conference, they can be a first time attendee’s new best friend. Others remain Perianesthesia Content Experts, develop educational and seminar curriculum and/or remain national and international speakers on perianesthesia practice. Many continue to serve on ASPAN Committees, Strategic Work Teams, and Special Function Groups, supporting the work of the incoming ASPAN President and Board members. Others still are writing for or editing perianesthesia publications and are active in academia. A few real life examples of what ASPAN Past Presidents are involved in include: Writing for PeriAnesthesia Publications Editing PeriAnesthesia Publications (Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Core Curriculum) Serving as President/Board members on other Nursing Organization Boards Providing mission and philanthropic work Serving on/chairing International PeriAnaesthesia Conference activities Volunteering for other Nursing and Non Nursing Organizations Creating ASPAN Lectures/Seminars/Webinars
Pursuing advanced nursing degrees – DNP, EdD, PhD Performing PeriAnesthesia Research activities Becoming Joanna Briggs Scholars/Reviewers Serving on University/Academic Advisory Boards Serving as Nurse Recruiters Serving as ASPAN Liaison Appointments Serving as Key Note Speakers Performing perianesthesia nursing research ASPAN Past Presidents are professionals. They continue to influence and impact our specialty practice. Even though the role changes at the end of the term, they are, and always will be an integral part of our tapestry of work. The message always has been to become involved and stay involved, focusing on nursing and perianesthesia practice. The Past Presidents have taught me the importance of reaching out, up, and down to provide others a path to advance. Through mentoring, engagement, listening, and support from ASPAN’s Past Presidents, another set of nursing heroes—our representative assembly members, board members, committee chairs, and liaisons— feel the impact of real commitment and understanding that enhances and elevates clinical expertise, proving that these essential relationships are vital. I am proud to acknowledge the work of all my peers in perianesthesia practice, their accomplishments and contributions to our practice and our society. It is amazing how far we have come – and how much work is still left to do. Our legacy remains as a foundation of support to our current and future Presidents and Board members. In addition to my own family and support, my ASPAN friends/family and National Office Staff have been there for key life AND career events. I won’t soon forget their gentle support and presence – which I felt always. They influenced both the nurse – and person – I have become over the last 44 years. I will remain forever grateful.
Reference 1. Heifetz R, Laurie D. The Work of Leadership. Harvard Business Review. 1997. Available at: http://www.
nhcue.edu.tw/aca/fte/95-2/4.pdf. 2016.
Accessed
May
25,
Past Presidents - Legacies of Caring and Commitment Chris Price, MSN, RN, CPAN, CAPA I GREW UP reading of the adventures of Cherry Ames – a series of books for young adults written from 1943 to 1968. A fictional character, but none the less an inspiring one, Cherry Ames was a Student Nurse, Senior Nurse, Army Nurse, Chief Nurse, Flight Nurse, Veteran’s Nurse, Private Duty Nurse, and Staff Nurse. Reading about her life and career choice helped affirm my decision to embrace this profession. She could have been the ultimate recruiter for the profession because as her career grew, she did as well, taking a variety of different paths (Cruise Ship Nurse, Dude Ranch Nurse, Department Store Nurse, Jungle Nurse, Island Nurse, and ultimately, Ski Nurse). So many choices for such a life’s work! I soon learned of the history of nursing and of the men and women who practiced nursing throughout the ages, up to and including the birth of modern nursing. As I entered high school, I was even more determined to make that critical difference that professional nurses made, through war and peace time, in the community, regionally, nationally, and internationally. My father, husband, and son-in-law collectively served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. I owe their well-being to professional nurses. Nurses are the real heroes.
that gaining as much experience and knowledge from those who had practiced for years before me was paramount to the ability to contribute to the professional. I have witnessed no less than miraculous and skilled competency and caring. I wanted to be that kind of nurse, and nurses remained my heroes. Having worked in the acute care clinical setting my entire career, I see, hear and can bear witness to what nursing heroes do. I remain awed and inspired.
Once a practicing professional, but still quite the novice, I knew I had a great deal to learn, and
Once I was confident clinically and growing more professionally, I realized that the impacts of education and a specialty organization were strong contributors to expertise even beyond my own comfort zone and clinical world. I learned that one is a product of the company they keep. I worked to assure that I ‘‘kept company’’ with nursing colleagues who were the experts–active and contributing in an even more significant way in their professional organization.
The ideas or opinions expressed in this editorial are those solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASPAN, the Journal, or the Publisher. Chris Price, MSN, RN, MSN, CPAN, CAPA is a past President (2011-2012) for the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses. She recently retired from Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover and Milford, Delaware, where she worked for 36 years, with 24 years as a Director of Perioperative Services. She and her husband are in the process of relocating to Florida. She is currently a member of the JoPAN Editorial Advisory Board. Address correspondence to Chris Price, 4080 Willey Drive, Townsend, DE 19734; e-mail address: [email protected]. Ó 2016 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses 1089-9472/$36.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2016.06.001
364
I owe so much to nursing colleagues who cared for me, my children, my parents, my grandchildren, and other family members. Like so many of you, I know what it means firsthand to be part of such life experiences as birth and death, being an advocate so a patient does not feel isolated and alone. I have experienced practice decisions that helped to save a life, prolonged a life until a loved one was present, and also have had those same experiences given to me by my colleagues in turn. I knew that the bedside nurse was a hero and soon learned that the nurses who worked in management, staff and patient education, quality improvement, academics, and risk management were as well.
This link to a professional organization really broadened my horizons. I wanted to be like the nurses in the Chesapeake Bay Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses–these nursing heroes were active regionally and nationally, had achieved specialty certification, and advanced their education to
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 31, No 4 (August), 2016: pp 364-366
365
THE BACK PAGE
BSN and MSN. I attended my first ASPAN National Conference in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. I met ASPAN Presidents, Jean Sutton and Ann Allen, and other ASPAN leaders. I found them interested, supportive, nurturing, generous with their knowledge to their fellow colleagues, inspirational, and passionate not only about the practice of nursing, but also about the real impact they chose to make in their daily practice. I had met my next set of Nursing Heroes – and I was forever changed for the better. I took accountability and responsibility for my own practice. I became more active in the CBSPAN, served on the Representative Assembly, and began committee work nationally. As a component president, I learned that my role and function was to serve the interests and support informed decisions at the Representative Assembly, for our component members, and ultimately, our patients. Because of these CBSPAN heroes, I took the steps to achieve CPAN certification, a BSN, an MSN, and CAPA certification. What an example they had set for me. I am proud to have sat in the first gallery of the representative assembly that was opened up to membership by Lisa Jeran. I met JoPAN editors and Breathline editors. At each national conference I saw old friends and met new ones – presidents, board members, candidates, editors, past presidents, historians, the parliamentarian, national office members, and the ASPAN CEO, all of whom shared a common core purpose – their passion and support of the perianesthesia specialty. I was privy to great accomplishments and challenges – indeed - I kept the very best company! I have proudly read every Breathline, Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, and President’s Message since 1988, when I first started in this specialty. I learned that all of our nursing colleagues and members have a voice, and once executed, participate in developing perianesthesia practice at district, component, regional, national, and international levels. As described by Heifetz and Laurie1 in The Work of Leadership, ASPAN Presidents and their Boards faced many challenges in an effort to remain attuned and current during their terms. They are charged and challenged to make as needed:
‘‘adaptive challenges, changes in the society, markets, customers, competition, and global technologies. These outside influences forced the organization to clarify strategies, develop strategies and learn new ways of operating.’’1 Each ASPAN President has a unique and wellthought-out message and/or a vision – and as a member, I so wanted to aspire to what my professional organizations’ leadership envisioned and encouraged me to be. It was both personal and professional to me as nursing clinician, family and patient advocate/educator, novice researcher, and confirmed colleague. From the very beginning, I believed that the person elected as ASPAN President realized and kept a ‘‘sacred trust’’ to bring a passion for practice and their own unique style to add to the richness of work/mission of the society – to move perianesthesia nursing forward. I knew that the ASPAN President understood and held close this obligation for the membership as well as the specialty practice. I believed that they paved the way for assurance that the journey would also continue for future generations of perianesthesia nurses and any identified or uncertain issues that would potentially face our practice. I saw each sitting ASPAN President as the ASPAN Chief Nurse Executive (CNE), assuring that the Board of Directors never lost sight of ASPAN’s Core Purpose, Core Values and Compelling Vision. I believed them to be the ultimate point person, with support of the parliamentarian and national office staff, flawlessly keeping the Board to remain on focus for the work of the society. In a sense, the National President belongs to the membership and is elected to represent them and the specialty, the Districts and Components, and for perianesthesia practice, education and research issues. They are at the helm of a vital dynamic organization in a significant and progressive role. Seen as integral part of ASPAN’s history, they are valued resources, colleagues, confidants, and role models to any given member. They remain so even after their terms have been served. Not unlike our national political leaders, once they become Past Presidents, by virtue of their
366
CHRIS PRICE
roles, they are loyal to and still continue to support the work of society. ASPAN and its members value their loyalty and contributions. A price cannot be put on the benefit of experience, diplomacy, tact, enhanced communication skills, and expertise in negotiating challenges, many of which have been handled in a loving and caring way for any variety of situations during their terms. They are seen as extraordinary mentors and valued colleagues. Many Past Presidents remain active – and although they are no longer a sitting board or representative assembly member, their support is vital to the organization. They are active and supportive of their components and regions. Many participate as mentors for ASPAN’s Emerging Leaders Program to nurture and develop others with a vision for motivating, guiding and encouraging others, and recognizing the importance of establishing/maintaining that initiative. At National Conference, they can be a first time attendee’s new best friend. Others remain Perianesthesia Content Experts, develop educational and seminar curriculum and/or remain national and international speakers on perianesthesia practice. Many continue to serve on ASPAN Committees, Strategic Work Teams, and Special Function Groups, supporting the work of the incoming ASPAN President and Board members. Others still are writing for or editing perianesthesia publications and are active in academia. A few real life examples of what ASPAN Past Presidents are involved in include: Writing for PeriAnesthesia Publications Editing PeriAnesthesia Publications (Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Core Curriculum) Serving as President/Board members on other Nursing Organization Boards Providing mission and philanthropic work Serving on/chairing International PeriAnaesthesia Conference activities Volunteering for other Nursing and Non Nursing Organizations Creating ASPAN Lectures/Seminars/Webinars
Pursuing advanced nursing degrees – DNP, EdD, PhD Performing PeriAnesthesia Research activities Becoming Joanna Briggs Scholars/Reviewers Serving on University/Academic Advisory Boards Serving as Nurse Recruiters Serving as ASPAN Liaison Appointments Serving as Key Note Speakers Performing perianesthesia nursing research ASPAN Past Presidents are professionals. They continue to influence and impact our specialty practice. Even though the role changes at the end of the term, they are, and always will be an integral part of our tapestry of work. The message always has been to become involved and stay involved, focusing on nursing and perianesthesia practice. The Past Presidents have taught me the importance of reaching out, up, and down to provide others a path to advance. Through mentoring, engagement, listening, and support from ASPAN’s Past Presidents, another set of nursing heroes—our representative assembly members, board members, committee chairs, and liaisons— feel the impact of real commitment and understanding that enhances and elevates clinical expertise, proving that these essential relationships are vital. I am proud to acknowledge the work of all my peers in perianesthesia practice, their accomplishments and contributions to our practice and our society. It is amazing how far we have come – and how much work is still left to do. Our legacy remains as a foundation of support to our current and future Presidents and Board members. In addition to my own family and support, my ASPAN friends/family and National Office Staff have been there for key life AND career events. I won’t soon forget their gentle support and presence – which I felt always. They influenced both the nurse – and person – I have become over the last 44 years. I will remain forever grateful.
Reference 1. Heifetz R, Laurie D. The Work of Leadership. Harvard Business Review. 1997. Available at: http://www.
nhcue.edu.tw/aca/fte/95-2/4.pdf. 2016.
Accessed
May
25,
