I'd like to propose a New Year's resolution-say "yes" in 2017. Get out of your comfort zone-join a professional organization or a committee at your place of work, or return to school for a certificate or advanced degree. Be the person to say "yes" when asked to lead a project or to become active in a student or professional organization. I know it's hard to imagine adding anything to an already packed life, but perhaps it's time to make some trades. Saying "yes" can lead to incredible opportunities. You'll meet new people and learn about a world you didn't know existed. Saying "yes" has served me well over the years and has led to professional fulfillment I would otherwise not have had.
For example, many years ago one of the nurses at our local public high school asked me to work part time checking children's heads when cases of head lice were reported in classrooms-most often in the grade schools. Not exactly a glamorous job, and it didn't pay well, but I learned a lot about school nursing. Saying "yes" served me well later when I wanted to place a nursing student in a school setting for her community health clinical and was able to contact the person I helped years before. I said "yes" when a friend asked me if I would fill in occasionally for her in her job as the nurse at a rheumatologist's office. Once again, the compensation was lower than I would have received in an acute care setting, but I learned so much about nursing in an office setting and a lot about diseases I had not heard of before. The Visiting Nurse Association where I worked started a home diabetes education program. I said yes (thinking I already knew all there was to know about diabetes). I was shocked to realize how much I didn't know about this too-common chronic disease. This led me to join my state organization of diabetes educators-a well-organized group of professionals from whom I learned so much. Another home care organization I worked for asked for a volunteer to fill the new role of pulmonary nurse specialist. Once again, saying "yes" led to professional growth and fulfillment, and an in-depth understanding of patients with pulmonary diseases that I would not otherwise have had. While teaching in my school of nursing, I was asked to be the project leader for a joint project with our school of nursing and two Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) in our state. Saying "yes" led to the creation and publication of a simulation scenario involving care of veterans, the development of a dedicated education unit at the VAMC, several more publications, and an understanding of the many health concerns facing our nation's heroes. As an educator I have learned that students learn best from stories that illustrate the concepts being taught. All these experiences have given me plenty of stories to tell in the classroom.
I know it can be daunting to raise your hand, but the rewards and professional growth are abundant. Has saying "yes" to new opportunities led you to a higher level of personal growth and satisfaction? Write about it and send it to the journal as a Commentary. We would love to hear about your experience.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the Home Healthcare Now peer reviewers who said "yes" to reviewing manuscripts in 2016. We obviously couldn't have a peer reviewed journal without them. When an author or group of authors submit a manuscript to a journal, it is important that it undergoes review by knowledgeable, discipline-specific reviewers to determine if it merits publication. Why is peer review so important? Home care, like all areas of healthcare, needs to be driven by current best evidence. The last thing we want to do is print outdated, erroneous information. So a sincere thank you to all out peer reviewers who take time out of their busy lives to provide this professional service.
I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Thank You
Home Healthcare Now would like to thank the following peer reviewers for their work in 2016:
Judy Baker
Dennia Bell
Kathrin Boerner
Rodello Borillo
Barbara Dale
Kathy Duckett
Brenda Elliott
Soozi Flannigan
Susan Fowler
Margaret Freundl
Kevin Fuji
Lisa Gorski
Marilyn Harris
Dawn Hohl
Melissa Jeremiah
Susan Johnsen
Elizabeth Kleber
Cindy Krafft
Jessica Linna
Diana Mager
Margaret McDonald
Sandra McKay
Myra Nenna
Mary Ann Rayrat
Jennifer Rice
Patricia Rouen
Julie Salo
Kristine Sutter
Pamela Teenier
Robi Thomas
Elaine Webber