Greetings from Washington state. I am Julie Twiss but prefer to be called JT. I am a Registered Nurse and have been a nurse for 36 years. As we end the Ever Growing, Ever Strong, Ever Green theme and begin the Care to be, Care to do, and Care a calling theme I have a plea for you to care. During the next year you will be energized to care and will energize others to do the same.
To be a nurse, it requires a will or desire, it takes energy, it takes knowledge, and it takes skill. It even takes money. I feel that to be an orthopaedic nurse, it also takes strength and stamina. How many times have you heard that a peer does not want to be an ortho nurse because they do not want to "work" that hard? Orthopaedic patients are not exactly mobile, even in bed. And their pain can be difficult to deal with, exasperating in fact.
Truthfully, in my career, I was once afraid of orthopaedic patients. They had incredible amounts of pain and they were strung up in contraptions I did not understand. I was a critical care nurse for the first 19 years of my career. When a patient with musculoskeletal trauma or a total joint ended up in ICCU, we took care of the critical care needs of the patient, but honestly did not "deal" with the ortho orders. We did not understand or have the expertise to do so. I think back to how some of the patients were "strung up." Well, I am embarrassed to say they were not exactly ergonomically correct! Thank God for ortho nurses.
So, what does it take to be an ortho nurse? First of all, I feel, we "Care to be."
For those of you who attend Congress, read the ONJ articles, have become certified, participate in the webinars, or serve on committees or chapters, you have taken it upon yourself to better yourself and make the musculoskeletal health of this nation a priority. If you have ever attended Congress, you are aware that it can be a grueling few days of education, networking, the review of research and what's new to ensure the health and well-being of our patients, and what could make our jobs easier.
You do what you need to, to get the job done. You do extra shifts and extend your shifts to remain caught up. You find coverage for when you need to be absent. Despite the inconveniences, you come back for more to care for your patients or to teach others to do so. You care to be: to be engaged in your profession, with your patients or clients, and with your peers.
NAON has so much to offer. There was so much accomplished last year. For example, the web site advances, the core curriculum, the webinars, the approver unit for your contact hours, the scope and standards, the pain algorithms, Bone Up Programs, the Review Courses, the patient education updates, and Spanish translations, to name a few.
There are committees and task forces needed to do the work. There are those that teach courses and do the research.
There are needs in your local community and for mankind as well.
What about beyond your work? Is it enough to soak up the knowledge you have learned from the organization, ONJ, and networking? What are you going to do with that knowledge?
How do you, care to be, outside the realm of your "work?" Are you engaged in your community? Are you engaged in your profession?
So, what do you "Care to do?"
Do you know there were 64.3 million Americans who volunteered in charities in 2011, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 13, 2012? Thus providing 7.9 billion hours of service valued at $171 billion.
What is a volunteer? What does that mean to you? If you volunteer or have volunteered for NAON in some capacity I thank you for your service and support of orthopaedics and the organization.
Are you a volunteer in your community? This could be anything from Habitat for Humanity to dog walking at your local humane society. Are you a Junior Achievement volunteer? Do you travel to third-world countries to start up or help at hospitals, schools, etc? If so, you are to be commended and I thank you for giving of yourself.
As nurses, we give so much of ourselves to patients and their loved ones. You sacrifice holidays and free time with family and friends to go to work when the call comes. You work days, nights, and weekends.
Even our intrinsic or extrinsic drives for continuing education can be a financial and/or family sacrifice.
So I wonder, is it a sacrifice or a reward? I believe that what we give we do get back. And we pay it forward.
One of the reasons I have volunteered for NAON is because of the benefits this organization provided me. Remember, I knew nothing about orthopaedics. I became a charge nurse/discharge planner in a busy orthopaedic unit and was thrust into the role of being a clinical expert and a community spokesperson. I needed information fast. I needed a resource. That resource was NAON. The information and networking received allowed me to gain the knowledge and skill to do the job. This has allowed me to advance my career to where I am now.
So, our expertise, our knowledge, our skill, our passion for human life to prevent injury, to learn how to care for oneself after an injury or surgery, to teach others about musculoskeletal disease processes to prevent becoming a so-called burden to society is priceless and a value to the community.
Are you hearing an inner voice? Do you hear a calling? This brings us to, "Care a calling."
Does everyone care? Does everyone receive a call to volunteer? Have you received a call and are you ignoring the call, that quiet inner voice to do more with your knowledge and skills? Do you know someone that has or is ignoring the call? Whether it is within NAON or within your community you more than likely have a talent to share. I am asking you to share. From the famous words of Dr. Seuss, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
I ask you, what are you going to care to be and care to do? Will you answer the call?
I love music, I have played multiple instruments and sang in a choir. I sing along on the radio, dance to a CD, and sing in the shower. I bet you do, too. Next year in Nashville it will be the orchestration of this organizations efforts in research, the pursuit of technology, and membership that brings harmony, peace, and a beat or rhythm within ourselves and those we serve.
I ask you, what part will you play?
Are you a single note? Or are you a symphony? Are you a song? Even one note is music. And it takes multiple notes to make a symphony or a song, whether it is a timeless masterpiece or a one-hit wonder.
To make music it is necessary to have:
A composer
A conductor
An instrument (i.e., a piano or even a spoon)
A human being to play an instrument
A sense of hearing or vibration
Memory
Technology (i.e., recording devices)
Passion
Talent
If we don't have the talent-well then, the desire
Music can be:
Loud
Soft
Soothing
Disturbing
Music strikes an emotion within us. What emotion does NAON bring to you?
I have one more task or request for all of you. My request is this: view the banner that runs across the NAON web page, and I am asking you to send me your pictures of you, you with your peers or family volunteering. Let us show each other and to anyone who visits our web page how we care. Send the photo to http://www.orthonurse.org.
Let us show everyone how we care to be, how we care to do, and that if care is calling, we answer that call.
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