Heart & Lung 43 (2014) 88
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Heart & Lung journal homepage: www.heartandlung.org
AAHFN Leadership Message
The next ten years.
Cynthia Bither, RN, MSN, ANP, ACNP, CHFN
The American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN) has just entered its tenth year. When the founders were developing this organization, they were unaware of what today’s health care climate would be. They forged ahead with the goal to make a difference in the lives of heart failure (HF) patients and the nurses who care for them. So, what will happen in the next ten years? What will AAHFN look like and what role will you play in its future? During our annual meeting in June, we will be looking back at the history of the organization. Some of us have been there since the beginning and others are new to the fold. Our members can be found in every setting where HF care is provided; that includes students interested in this population to veteran HF nurses. As we plan for the future, where will we find our future leaders? We need everyone, in every aspect of HF care. We need those who practice at the bedside, those who do research, those who teach and those who care for patients at home all the way to the ICU. No part of the formula is complete without the other parts. There is no such thing as “just a bedside nurse.” Who else can put plans into practice? Who else can come up with creative ways to make things happen? What if the ideas you use to provide that “special care” to your patients, could be used by others dealing with the same issues? AAHFN’s vision of “leading nurses in heart failure care” is accomplished through the dedication and volunteerism of its members. Whether you become a member, recruit a member, serve as a
0147-9563/$ e see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrtlng.2013.12.001
moderator at the annual meeting, submit an abstract, provide a clinical pearl or case study in the online Education Center, or hold a meeting with colleagues and view an AAHFN webinar together, these are all ways to participate and make our organization successful. Let me encourage you to make these next ten years just at exciting as the first ten. You are a leader! Who else but you can share your ideas and practical experience? What will your involvement have been when we look back in another ten years? Whether your experience with HF patients has been five days or fifteen years, never underestimate the importance of what you can bring to the growth of the AAHFN. I look forward to our next ten years. Author Descriptions Cindy Bither is the Chief NP for Inpatient Advanced Heart Failure Program at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She did her undergraduate nursing at the University of Vermont and her MSN and Adult NP were from George Mason University in VA. After working a few years as an NP, she took the Acute Care NP exam and grandfathered into the specialty. She spent the beginning of her career as a Med-Surg ICU nurse, where she came to love the heart transplant population. After graduation from GMU, she went to work at the Hospital Center as a Cardiac Surgical NP. When the chance came up to work with the heart failure/heart transplant population, she jumped at the opportunity and is still there 17 years later. In the midst of that, she has also taken a special interest in the Mechanical Circulatory Support population. She has received the award for Clinical Excellence at her institution and is a member of the Integrated Heart Failure Task Force for the Medstar Hospital System. Cindy is the secretary on the AAHFN Board of Directors.
Cynthia Bither, RN, MSN, ANP, ACNP, CHFN Secretary, AAHFN* Chief Nurse Practitioner Inpatient Advanced Heart Failure Program Medstar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC, USA * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Heart & Lung journal homepage: www.heartandlung.org
AAHFN Leadership Message
The next ten years.
Cynthia Bither, RN, MSN, ANP, ACNP, CHFN
The American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN) has just entered its tenth year. When the founders were developing this organization, they were unaware of what today’s health care climate would be. They forged ahead with the goal to make a difference in the lives of heart failure (HF) patients and the nurses who care for them. So, what will happen in the next ten years? What will AAHFN look like and what role will you play in its future? During our annual meeting in June, we will be looking back at the history of the organization. Some of us have been there since the beginning and others are new to the fold. Our members can be found in every setting where HF care is provided; that includes students interested in this population to veteran HF nurses. As we plan for the future, where will we find our future leaders? We need everyone, in every aspect of HF care. We need those who practice at the bedside, those who do research, those who teach and those who care for patients at home all the way to the ICU. No part of the formula is complete without the other parts. There is no such thing as “just a bedside nurse.” Who else can put plans into practice? Who else can come up with creative ways to make things happen? What if the ideas you use to provide that “special care” to your patients, could be used by others dealing with the same issues? AAHFN’s vision of “leading nurses in heart failure care” is accomplished through the dedication and volunteerism of its members. Whether you become a member, recruit a member, serve as a
0147-9563/$ e see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrtlng.2013.12.001
moderator at the annual meeting, submit an abstract, provide a clinical pearl or case study in the online Education Center, or hold a meeting with colleagues and view an AAHFN webinar together, these are all ways to participate and make our organization successful. Let me encourage you to make these next ten years just at exciting as the first ten. You are a leader! Who else but you can share your ideas and practical experience? What will your involvement have been when we look back in another ten years? Whether your experience with HF patients has been five days or fifteen years, never underestimate the importance of what you can bring to the growth of the AAHFN. I look forward to our next ten years. Author Descriptions Cindy Bither is the Chief NP for Inpatient Advanced Heart Failure Program at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She did her undergraduate nursing at the University of Vermont and her MSN and Adult NP were from George Mason University in VA. After working a few years as an NP, she took the Acute Care NP exam and grandfathered into the specialty. She spent the beginning of her career as a Med-Surg ICU nurse, where she came to love the heart transplant population. After graduation from GMU, she went to work at the Hospital Center as a Cardiac Surgical NP. When the chance came up to work with the heart failure/heart transplant population, she jumped at the opportunity and is still there 17 years later. In the midst of that, she has also taken a special interest in the Mechanical Circulatory Support population. She has received the award for Clinical Excellence at her institution and is a member of the Integrated Heart Failure Task Force for the Medstar Hospital System. Cindy is the secretary on the AAHFN Board of Directors.
Cynthia Bither, RN, MSN, ANP, ACNP, CHFN Secretary, AAHFN* Chief Nurse Practitioner Inpatient Advanced Heart Failure Program Medstar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC, USA * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected]
