I'm sure many of you have seen this quote: "Because being a nurse is more than a job-it's a way of life." I've come to understand the meaning of that phrase in my 11 years of working with Kathleen Sanford, the executive vice president and chief nursing officer at a large health system. Dr Sanford also happens to be the editor-in-chief of Nursing Administration Quarterly (NAQ). Although I'm not a nurse, as the managing editor of NAQ, I've encountered many nurse leaders in many different circumstances. These leaders are passionate about their profession, and I do believe it is part of their nature to want to make a difference in the lives of those around them. This core belief is what allowed them to embrace nursing, once they discovered the profession. Many took detours from their bedside nursing careers, as their desire grew to help others in a different way. The desire to "do the right thing" for patients extends to their families, their colleagues, and their communities.
Health care is a business, but I have seen firsthand that nursing is a calling. Many times, leaders in organizations may not recognize that the core of the health care business is the patient. Patients come to a health care facility with a health issue and an expectation that they will be met by a caring person who will tend to their needs and help them on their road to recovery. The nurse leaders I've met over the years have never forgotten this. They may not have daily hands-on contact with patients, but innately remain fully committed to help and support colleagues in their current capacity, in order to promote knowledge so others may deliver great nursing care. I have been privileged to be part of their commitment while working with the NAQ advisory board over the past 7 years. Our advisory board members also frequently serve as guest editors for NAQ. I've learned so much from all of them. For these nurse leaders, nursing is a way of life, and I'm proud to have shared my time at NAQ with these remarkable nurses.
-Linda Pickett, BA
Managing Editor,
Nursing Administration Quarterly