Be your professional best

In this edition of Open Letter to Nurses, we take a look at ongoing professional development and networking, especially as it relates to membership and participation in nursing organizations that are focused on enhancing professional practice. In this edition's In the Spotlight, you'll hear from Dawn Affleck, an operating room Program Team Manager at St. Boniface Hospital, who discusses the importance of the Canadian Nurses Association's certification programs and the value of keeping connected to one's peers in the profession. Dawn's perspective and insights make for good reading and good advice.

But I'd also like to add my perspective. I can say without hesitation that my involvement in professional nursing associations has been vital at all stages of my career. Most recently, my membership in the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses (ACEN) has helped me learn from my peers across Canada - people who share many of the same leadership responsibilities and operational challenges I face in my day-to-day work. With their help, I've learned more about best practices, tapped into the experience of executive-level leaders and influencers, and gained access to insights, advice and supports that would have otherwise remained outside my grasp.  Whether it is connecting with other nurses locally or across the country, the opportunity to learn from the experience of others in our areas of practice is important.

My membership in ACEN and other professional associations has also made me more resilient, and that's no small consideration in an environment where change is constant and expectations high. Learning about the successes and challenges elsewhere in the country provides insight and encouragement to continue to strive to make improvements every day.

Certainly, my university education, training and the skills I learned on the job were important, too, and that's true for us all. But not to take advantage of the many benefits of interacting with our peers is to miss out an opportunity to make that most important of all investments: the one we make in ourselves. Nursing is a knowledge-based profession and in the context of ever evolving practice and changing environments, it is essential we continue to learn.

Nursing is not only challenging, it is - by its very nature - participatory and collaborative. Each of us has to work with others, learn from others and, yes, occasionally lean on others. Membership in the nursing association of your choice is an excellent way to keep current, learn new skills, and to share experiences. Whether you've just started in the profession, or are a veteran with many years of experience, association membership offers effective pathways for lifelong learning, skills advancement and greater career satisfaction.

And so I encourage you to get in there and participate and collaborate with your peers. It's a great way to keep fresh, keep motivated, and keep striving to be the best nurse you can be.  Do it for yourself and for your patients. Be a clinical expert in your area of expertise.

Sincerely,

Lori