TraumaCon 2022 was an amazing event for many reasons. The Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its inaugural conference and honored our professional organization's past presidents. Conference attendees participated in educational sessions focused on advancing our personal and professional development and, perhaps even more importantly, enjoyed the fellowship of our togetherness for the first time in 3 years. The theme of the presidential address was "It's About Time: The Past, Present, and Future," and I was privileged to share the honor of the podium with STN's immediate past president (serving years 2020 and 2021) Maria McMahon.
Mrs. McMahon addressed STN's past, providing a chronological summary of the organization, including the history of the first STN Conference, also held in beautiful Las Vegas, NV, 25 years ago. TraumaCon 2022 also honored the past presidents in multiple ways, including a memorial gavel box engraved with the names of each of the original 25 honorees (see Figure 1). A Past President's Celebration was held, where each president was recognized and presented with an engraved memorial gavel. A champagne toast was offered to thank the legendary heroes (see Figure 2).
To address STN's present state, as the 2022 President, I reviewed the current status of our health care professions, addressing pandemic implications, violence against health care workers, worldwide violence, and resiliency. The message included encouragement for organizations and leaders to take active roles in "stopping the bleed" of losing our health care workforce to fatigue and burnout. Attendees were encouraged to be present at TraumaCon and engage in everything that the society and the in-person conference had to offer.
The future of STN is very bright. The STN Strategic Plan for 2022-2024 was shared at both the Members Meeting and during the Presidential address. The pillars of Advocacy, Knowledge, Leadership, Research, Alliances, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion contain objectives to challenge the organizational efforts to advance the mission of delivery of optimal and equitable trauma care to all people globally.
Highlighted was the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) pillar. This included recognition that every STN committee is required to address DEI not only in their member composition but also among the colleagues they are serving and the objectives they are fulfilling. Every committee was asked to include an STN international member within the committee membership composition.
The 2020 AAST Presidential Address by Dr. Wayne Meredith was called "Lessons for a Rewarding Career Learned Along the Way to this Podium." Dr. Meredith challenged his physician colleagues to meet DEI head-on. He said, "It is not enough to be color-blind-We must be color bold" (Meredith, 2020). Similarly, I challenge STN to keep DEI at the forefront as we continue to make decisions and implement actions according to STN's mission.
STN is well positioned to lead our group of passionate members based on our strong historical leadership and past experiences. The talented, resolute, and expert members provide guidance to address present health care demands. Our vision and aspirations have us well prepared to address future goals.
During the presidential address, I shared my practice of mindfulness. For me, this includes filling thoughts with positivity whenever possible. One of my stable positive themes is music. While preparing for this first Journal of Trauma Presidential Message and focusing on TraumaCon's theme of time, the song Good Riddance by Green Day came to mind. The song's lyrics include: "It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right. I hope you had the time of your life" (Green Day, 1997). For most of us, the past 2 years have been completely unpredictable, and TraumaCon 2022 brought back the stability of what was right, our togetherness and solidarity as a professional organization of compassionate trauma providers. It truly was the time of my life. Celebrating the past, analyzing the present, and striving for a positive future, together!
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