Have you ever thought about serving on a board? For some of you, the answer is a resounding yes. For others, it may be the furthest thing from your mind. And for others, the question of what service on a board entails and why one might do it may be more along the lines of the thoughts that go through your minds in response to that question.
Serving on a board and bringing your knowledge, energy, and expertise to the table benefits the organization and the groups it serves, and it also benefits you in many ways. The main reason many people choose to serve on a board is because they want to make an impact on the work or population that organization serves primarily because they care about the cause or the matter at hand. By serving on a board, you can help the organization carry out and achieve its goals, thereby impacting the population of interest in a much greater capacity than you could through working on your own. Your service on a board can benefit many people in more ways than you can imagine.
Although some boards may have specific criteria in order to qualify to serve, all have some general characteristics they desire in board members. As nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners, we possess many of these characteristics. Boards tend to be interested in people with expertise and knowledge who can help them advance their mission. Expertise can come in the form of life experience as well as professional experience. As NPD practitioners, we possess a unique blend that could make us highly desirable as board members. We are nurses, and nurses are known to be caring and concerned about the welfare of others. This is a major quality that boards seek in members-individuals who demonstrate interest in the groups affected by the work of the organization. We are the most trusted professionals (Gallup, 2018). Trust is an important trait that boards seek. Matters that are brought before the board may be sensitive and confidential. It is important that potential members demonstrate trustworthiness. We are smart, people-centered, relationship-based, and so much more that is so valuable to so many organizations, including those outside of health care.
Serving on a board benefits the organization, but it also benefits you. One benefit is that it can help advance your career. Many organizations have seasoned leaders serving on their boards. So, if you're someone who is seeking to build relationships and network, serving as a board member may position you in the same circle as leaders in the field giving you the opportunity to collaborate and grow.
As a board member, you're likely to enhance your interpersonal skills and relationships. Learning from watching others navigate difficult or controversial topics and conversations is invaluable. Having the opportunity to interact on issues related to leadership, finance, and other aspects that require careful communication helps you to build your interpersonal skills. Public speaking and interacting within the profession and with other professions helps you understand a little more about yourself and your views, as well as the perspectives of others.
Many nurses may not have opportunities to engage in strategic planning and market analysis activities, skills that prove highly valuable in the leadership journey. Through board service you can learn about this from others who have that experience.
As someone who is not on the newer end of the professional spectrum, serving on a board can be just what you need to "give back" or "pay it forward" after years of your own professional or personal experience. Offering your expertise may be solely to ensure that others gain from your knowledge and experience and so that lessons you've learned can benefit others in the future.
Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of serving as a board member is that you get to take a deep dive into the issues surrounding the cause you are serving. The history, the factors impacting the group or cause, and all sorts of aspects surrounding your interest. You get to really understand the community you are serving when you do so through board membership!
The Board of Directors of the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) is composed of members who, after involvement with ANPD in different ways and over time, decided that they want to contribute to guiding the direction and supporting the goals of ANPD. The ANPD Board of Directors, led by the President, positions the organization for a successful future and helps execute the mission and vision of the organization. The current ANPD Board members are as follows (ANPD, 2018):
President: Patsy Maloney, EdD, RN-BC, CEN, NEA-BC
Treasurer: Mary Golway, MSN, RN-BC, PMP
Director: Weatherly Brice, MSN, RN-BC
Director: Deborah Buchwach, MSN, RN-BC
Director: Cathy Gage, MHA, RN-BC
Director: Michele Noble, MN, APRN, RN-BC
Director: Launette Woolforde, EdD, DNP, RN-BC
The group that makes up the current board represents NPD practice across a broad geographic setting, with diverse backgrounds in nursing and different experiences in the scope and structure of their professional roles in NPD. These differences allow for new ideas to be generated, and different perspectives to be shared, and helps to keep ANPD on the cutting edge of issues in healthcare, nursing, and NPD practice. The ANPD Board seeks to increase its representation across NPD practice, so if you think you have background attributes that would benefit ANPD, consider responding to a future call for board members. For more information about how the ANPD Board functions, you may review the column entitled The Association Board as Servant Leader (Maloney, 2017). To learn more about the current ANPD Board, you may visit the website at http://www.anpd.org/page/board-of-directors (ANPD Board of Directors, 2018).
Although there are many nursing organizations that we as NPD practitioners can choose to serve on, opportunities abound for us to serve on boards outside of NPD, outside of nursing, and even outside of healthcare. Have you heard about the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC)? The NOBC is a national partnership of organizations committed to the goal of enabling the appointments of 10,000 nurses to boards of directors of corporate, health-related, and other boards, panels, and commissions by 2020. Their main purpose is to improve the health of communities and the nation through nurses' service on boards and other bodies. The NOBC works to raise awareness that all boards would benefit from the unique perspective of nurses to achieve the goals of improved health and efficient and effective healthcare systems at the local, state, and national levels. The NOBC was created in response to the landmark 2010 Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, which recommended increasing the number of nurse leaders in pivotal decision-making roles on boards and commissions that work to improve the health of everyone in America (NOBC, 2018).
As NPD practitioners, we have a lot to contribute to health care and to society at large. For many reasons, serving on a board may be an avenue you may want to consider in your career!
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