When my children return to school each fall, with baseball games and summer vacations behind us, and weather here in Northwest Pennsylvania returning to snow and ice, I find it a great time to refocus on goals and prepare for the coming year. Not only do I believe that this is valuable for us as a family, and each of us to do as individuals, I also believe that as an organization it is extremely valuable to renew and refocus. As an organization we have started to renew and refocus. With the help of Agentis, the management firm for the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), the Board of Directors has done just that. The Board members, both returning and new, expended an enormous amount of time toward updating our organizational strategic plan. I believe that the time spent on this enormous task will allow us to build on the incredible work that has been done and continue to move our organization forward at an extremely fast pace.
The STN is a professional nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure optimal trauma care to all people locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Trauma nurse initiatives guide the professional focus on prevention, education, and collaboration with other health care disciplines. The STN advocates for the highest level of quality trauma care across the continuum. We accomplish this through an environment that fosters visionary leadership, mentoring, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration in the delivery of trauma care. Using the core values of collaboration, education, innovation, leadership, and mentoring, five overarching goals were created to use as building blocks for the updates to the strategic plan. These goals include:
1. Advocacy. Promote excellence in trauma care through advocacy and public policy.
2. Knowledge sharing. Provide exceptional education and resources for trauma professionals.
3. Leadership. Provide leadership opportunities and resources for STN and its members.
4. Quality. Develop and execute initiatives that promote excellence and quality across the continuum of trauma care.
5. Alliance building. Develop and maintain coalitions to advance STN's strategic initiatives and create a culture of alliance building.
I am excited to share that we are moving quickly and have already been able to complete some important tasks under each of these goals. However, the work is far from over! As the work continues, we will be expanding many resources, developing new committees, and offering new educational opportunities. I encourage you to stay up-to-date on all of the progress through the STN website and social media.
In closing, I ask that you also take time to renew and refocus. What ideas do you have for STN? Where does your clinical experience fit in to the goals of the STN strategic plan? Which STN resources can be utilized to help you grow professionally? How can we get you involved? While refocusing, I ask that you take time to determine the answers to my questions above, fill out a volunteer form on the STN website, and partner with the Board as we continue our journey advancing trauma care globally.