ANACA The Nursing Voice Fall 2019

8  . The Nursing Voice . Fall 2019 A Letter from the Secretary Ruth Rosenblum—ANA\C Secretary As Secretary of ANA\C for the past two years, and recently reelected for another two-year term, I am using this platform to share 36 years of nursing wisdom with you! Become engaged! “The more layers between frontline clinicians and those making momentous decisions about how care should be organized, the more cynicism and disengage- ment you’re likely to experience. Improving patient care should be the major motivation for organizations to change and change quickly.” You are placed strategically to make a difference in your organization whether you are a front-line staff RN, educator, APRN, or any multitude of other roles in a hospital or healthcare system. Take advantage of your role to make macro- or micro-changes for your patients and col- leagues! Clinician Engagement, NEJM Catalyst. Know your value. What strengths do you bring to work every day? Perhaps it is your organizational skills and ability to keep on task. Or you are a gifted teacher at the bedside and with preceptees. Or maybe you have a systems focus and a knack for seeing the big picture even when overwhelmed by minutiae. Whatever your strength, sharpen it and use it. Get out of your comfort zone. We all are susceptible to impostor syndrome, thinking that we are not capable of accomplishing a task or doing a job. Offer to try something new on your unit. Look for a committee to join or a project that you have some passion for and leverage your passion into action. Comfort zones are, well, comfortable. Personal and professional growth happens when we are squirmy and a bit unsure, but the rewards are enormous. Embrace new technology. Make no mistake, I do not mean Epic or your Kindle, although those are great too, for the need that they fill in our work and personal lives. Familiarize yourself with terms such as these (and more): CRISPR, Artificial Intelli- gence, predictive analytics, clinical decision support, and bioinformatics. These are currently being used and will become much more commonly used in the coming decade. 3D organ printing, wearables, and big data are also terms to learn. When evaluating big data, consider the following: Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity. Build good relationships. We’ve all seen the All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten Poem . Go beyond the bare minimum of courtesy outlined there. In the workplace, offer to do something before being asked. Be proactive and use available resources. Always be in good communication with your manager and be aware of overstepping boundaries. People want to know what you can do for them—so do it! A corollary of this is ‘showing up early’—literally and figurative- ly. Be present. Be ready to take on the next big thing. Sometimes success starts with being in the right place at the right time with the right attitude. Maintain a sense of humor. So much of what we do as nurses is not funny. At all. Find outlets or friends where you can have a hearty laugh over chips and guac. Nurses are said to have ‘gallows humor’—we find absurd humor in grotesque or unhappy things. But this is a release and helps us to maintain our professional demeanor at the workplace in the midst of a patient and family heartbreak. Know with whom, when, and where you can let down your guard and have a rollicking giggle. Contact Ruth— secretary@anacalifornia.org BOD Corner