March Madness—Bring out your passion!
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Jane Kusler-Jensen RN, BSN, MBA, CNOR, FABC AORN Board of Directors |
Each year, 65 college basketball teams get an invitation to participate in March Madness. Each NCAA basketball tournament is a unique event, with favorite teams followed by passionate fans. Each NCAA championship tournament features "Cinderella story" teams, and that keeps fans guessing which team will make it to the Final Four round of semifinalists.
As perioperative nurses, you and I also have our favorite team to follow-during March Madness season and all year round. We are passionate fans, celebrating our triumphs and suffering through our losses. We are all passionate about our profession and the care we provide for our patients.
During the past year, AORN has urged member nurses to Share Your Passion, Illuminate Our Profession. "Passion" was the interesting concept with this theme. It may surprise you to know that the word derives from the Latin pati, from which also comes the word "patient."
Another meaning derived from the Latin pati is "to suffer." We have all been with patients when they suffered, and we have all provided the care needed to relieve or ease that suffering. Today the most critical element that defines "passion" in our dictionaries is "intense emotion, compelling action"
We understand that deeply. Our passion in perioperative nursing compels us to act. We demonstrate that passion when we perform surgical time outs, when we are diligent in making sure the sterile field is not compromised, when we stand up for patients who cannot speak for themselves about the safe care they expect or when we do not tolerate verbal violence directed at a peer or ourselves (because we know it affects the quality of care provided to our patients). This advocacy for our patients' well-being and a safe workplace is how we illuminate our profession.
Too often, though, the "daily grind" can wear on our passion. It can be easy to slip into a reluctance to speak out or speak up. It can be easy to become discouraged. When we feel such discouragement creep in, we have to marshal our inner strengths and resources so we can care for ourselves and our patients.
AORN is a resource we can lean on for help. One of the association's foundations always has been sharing the load. Whether it involves sharing ideas, best practices or plain old "war" stories, such sharing helps each of us to grow and renew ourselves professionally. We learn and grow from our chapter and state association meetings. And this month, Congress gives us feelings of "rebirth" and rejuvenation that enable us to provide safe, quality care to patients.
So, enjoy March Madness! Root for your favorite team! Enjoy the first taste of spring! Rejuvenate yourself! Get the most out of Congress 2008 by renewing friendships and honing your professional skills. Seek out chapter meetings and cohorts that support your professional goals. This will refresh our passion for our patients!
Read the latest report of activities from AORN's Board of Directors.