Happy New Year!
One of the consequences of COVID was the cancellation of beauty pageants across the world. This meant that many of the individuals crowned in 2019 were asked to continue their reign for a second year and had to continue to be “perfect” for another whole year. As you probably know, the American Nurses Association similarly extended “The Year of the Nurse” for a second year, and our year of recognition actually lasted for both 2020 and 2021.
I’m sure many of you are like me and ready for our reign to be over. I’m grateful for the spotlight and gratitude shared with nursing over the past two years, but I’m ready for a new year when healthcare workers are not in the headlines every week. I’m hoping 2022 will be the year COVID no longer dominates our lives and we can focus on our supportive work environment and innovative, high-quality patient care.
My goal for 2022 is to make this the year we tell the complete story of UAMS nursing. We plan to submit our Magnet application next month, launching the two-year journey toward Magnet designation. Telling our story is an important part of the Magnet requirement, but it’s so much more.
I know that every single day a UAMS nurse goes out of his or her way to do something remarkable for a colleague, a patient or their family. It’s what you do, and it’s part of our culture. I’d like us to capture these stories and share what it’s like to work with your best friends, to know your team has your back, to be able to change the lives of your patients, to be there when babies are born, patients learn their cancer is in remission, or when a stroke patient walks again. The hard times are part of the story too – what sets us apart is how we handle them, and we need to document this too. As those of you who have attended a Wellness Retreat know, journaling can be therapeutic. Telling our story also helps us learn and grow.
This year will likely have several unexpected plot twists and turns, but let’s work together for a happy ending.
Watch for ways to tell your story in 2022.
Trenda