Continuing on with last year's theme "Plastic Surgical Nursing: A Profession and a Passion," we have been fortunate to secure Kristin Baird, RN, BSN, MHA, the author of Reclaiming the Passion; Stories That Celebrate the Essence of Nursing for our 40th Annual Convention next year in Chicago. Our theme for next year's meeting is "40 Years of ASPSN ...Celebrating You! 1974-2014."
I have known Kris for many years; I believe that you will find her address to be amusing, insightful, motivating, and powerful as she talks to us about telling our story and reclaiming the passion. With that in mind, I ask that everyone think about your story or stories; what motivated you to become a nurse, why do you stay in your profession, was there a particular patient, moment, or situation that was the moment you knew you belonged? As Ms. Baird writes in her introduction, "Every nurse has moments when she is certain beyond a doubt that she has chosen the right profession. Those moments are like cool oasis waters, rich in their ability to rejuvenate and refresh the spirit. They are the points of passion that serve as an emotional counter-balance to the restrictive policies, stifling bureaucracies, staffing shortages and budget cuts that so often erode our souls." Think about your profession, your passion; can you share a story with us? I would love for 5, 10, 15, or however many would like to put their story to paper and share it with us, Ms. Baird will incorporate some of those stories into her keynote address.
We have our personal stories; we also have stories about our society, "40 Years of ASPSN ... Celebrating You! 1974-2014." The founders of ASPSN set the tone; we are here today because of our past leaders. We are rich in wisdom and strong in our belief in our Society. Each past president and their boards have contributed to the growth of ASPSN; they identified the needs of the society and moved us forward. I would like to thank our past presidents for your vision and due diligence to bring us to this point. ASPSN is strong and continues to grow stronger every day; it is because of your passion for your profession and this professional organization that we have prospered. As a result of their leadership, I am proud to say that our membership has grown by nearly 300 members since 2011. This is an amazing accomplishment; thank you to our members for investing the time in your career to be part of our Society. In addition to our growing membership, we have made strides in being a fiscally responsible organization; it is with great pride that I can announce that we are now able to invest a portion of our savings.
Looking ahead, I am confident that we will continue to grow and remain strong because of the passion for our profession and this professional Society. So, take a moment or two and think about your passion for your profession, as Ms. Baird stated, "those moments are like cool oasis waters, rich in their ability to rejuvenate and refresh the spirit." Write a story and share it with us at the 40th Annual Convention. In the meantime, I am honored to serve as your President of ASPSN and I look forward to another year of exciting endeavors for our Society.