It has been my honor to serve as STN's 25th president and an even greater honor to serve alongside and on the shoulders of so many passionate and compassionate nurses. Nurse members don't just belong to STN-They bring out the best in STN. Your commitment to the delivery of optimal trauma care to all people globally has built STN into a preeminent, global nursing organization.
The origins of the STN started in the early 1980s with the emergence of the role of the trauma program coordinator. Trauma nurses, who shared a common purpose to develop a centralized information center and create a network for clinical and administrative trauma nurses, came together to form the Trauma Nurse Network, the precursor to STN. From the very beginning, and still to this day, STN is the go-to place for trauma nurses seeking collaboration with other trauma leaders and organizations dedicated to a common mission and standard for trauma nursing. It began with purposeful action. A newsletter was published, and the first Board was created, which consisted of five officers. Invitations to speak at trauma symposiums became commonplace. As the organization grew and STN became increasingly known as the source for trauma nursing knowledge and expertise, STN was selected to participate at the National Trauma Summit meeting alongside many other multidisciplinary organizations. After STN became an established member of the trauma specialty community, the next step was to ensure that the organization cultivated governance, operational, and managerial expertise to support its continued growth. As with many great accomplishments, good things take time. Over the 15 years from that first gathering to establish the concept of STN, Board roles were established, a website was created, collaborative relationships were cultivated, STN participated in research, and established and published the Journal of Trauma Nursing. In 1998, STN hosted its first conference with 50 registrants in Las Vegas, NV. It preceded the annual Trauma and Critical Care conference with the support of Dr. Kenneth Mattox. Since then, STN has grown exponentially, as have its conferences, which now attract more than 500 attendees.
Recent innovations include course enhancements and new course development. In 2021, STN streamlined its popular "virtual" TOPIC (Trauma Outcomes and Performance Improvement Course) to better customize content and learning activities to the needs of participants in a digital environment. In addition, STN introduced Rural TOPIC to equip and empower trauma teams at Level III and IV trauma centers to meet performance improvement and quality objectives across the continuum of trauma care. The Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) course has been operational for more than 25 years. This past year, STN launched the ATCN Hybrid Course, an alternative option to the traditional 2-day ATCN Student Course. Through self-reflection and an objective review of all facets of the organization, STN identified a large gap that needed to be closed in order to advance its mission. STN was falling short in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and related goals, to support members and patients. So, STN established a DEI committee to oversee strategic initiatives to incorporate DEI principles within STN and to advance DEI programs that support clinician well-being and the delivery of optimal trauma care to all people. STN has incorporated DEI into each of its strategic pillars and intentionally pursues opportunities to infuse DEI principles into all programs. An example is the STN Research Grant program, which was modified to prioritize funding for community-based research and evidence-based projects that address health inequities and improve trauma care for oppressed populations.
To meet an identified unmet educational need, STN, in collaboration with the Pediatric Trauma Society, developed a 1-day pediatric trauma course focused on inpatient care. The course is designed to train attendees to apply a systematic approach to nursing care for pediatric trauma patients beyond initial resuscitation, to anticipate nursing care priorities for hospitalized children with single- and multisystem trauma, and to differentiate between unstable and stable pediatric patients with injuries.
This year, STN will hold its 25th annual conference, TraumaCon, in Las Vegas, NV, where the inaugural conference was held. We will celebrate our past accomplishments and honor STN's past presidents. We will also share information about current initiatives, resources, and trends in trauma nursing. Most importantly, we will plan our next chapter as trauma nursing leaders! With the help of STN members, STN continues to be recognized nationally and internationally as a premier organization committed to excellence in trauma nursing. Thank you STN members, for your remarkable contributions to your patients, your community, and your professional society!