I read an article in The New York Times about people suffering from pandemic boredom and had to chuckle. Not that I don't empathize with those suffering from boredom, but that's about the last thing nurses around the globe are experiencing. After all, we're #nursestrong, albeit exhausted. I do miss planning vacation adventures in faraway places, having large family get-togethers, attending professional conferences, and many more nonboring activities from prepandemic life, but boredom? Certainly not when our work lives are so intense and for many of you, your personal lives too. Would we wish for boredom now? I don't think so.
You could argue the case that facing the same challenges every day is boring. And we currently have so many challenges, sometimes seemingly insurmountable. It's the opposite of boring to work toward solutions every day. The relational nature of our work also contrasts to monotony-no two interactions are the same, whether with each other, patients, families, or even our bosses. We literally learn every day from our work.
Our work feels different now. Aren't we more innovative and creative in problem solving, from disrupted everyday processes to the larger issues of health equity and nursing's voice? If you did teeter into feeling uninterested or unexcited, this isn't the time to be uninspired. We have a future to build.
Which brings us to the renewal of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, which was extended into 2021, and International Nurses Day this month. The main theme as announced by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) is "Nurses: A Voice to Lead." ICN CEO Howard Catton, RN, notes that the theme "speaks to the importance of nursing leadership and the issues...we know that we've had with nursing voices not being heard or included at the high tables for health systems and policy decision-making." This work isn't boring, it's #nursestrong.
The National Academy of Medicine report on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was also delayed from last year to 2021. As a result of the pandemic and its effect on our profession, revisions were needed. The commission's insight into charting our course to 2030 is eagerly awaited; we can expect an emphasis on health equity, community health, diversity, nursing's voice, education and, of course, leadership.
Are we "lucky" not to be facing pandemic boredom as some of our neighbors might be? It's hard to find anything lucky about what we've been through, but those of you good at reframing know that we've made a difference in many lives and learned innumerable lessons for the future, personally and professionally.
The New York Times article that started my whole line of thinking ends with the thought that boredom forces us to think differently. If you do have more time to ponder, use it to de-stress, find creativity, and think of new goals-for every day and the big picture as a nurse leader. When we're #nursestrong, there's nothing that stands in our way. Let this Nurses Month be full of joy in your own professional practice!
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