Emerging Professionals: Join Us for the Nightingale Challenge!

Happy Medical-Surgical Nurses week! Medical-Surgical Nurses week is celebrated every November 1-7 in part to recognize the specialty of medical-surgical nursing, but also to celebrate you and the amazing things you do daily for your patients and their families, your colleagues, community and the profession of nursing. I hope you will share some of the fun you had this week on AMSN’s social media pages!

The board of directors know how challenging practice is today; we regularly implement strategies to help you to promote a healthy practice environment along with your development professionally and as an advocate. One of the newest initiatives we are implementing is the Nightingale Challenge. I’d like to provide more information on that initiative in this column.

This year-long initiative is open to AMSN members who are under 35 years of age. Participants will be selected from survey applications that you can access online. The initiative will be led by a leading international authority on leadership, Dr. Terry Jones. Over the course of one year, participants will review and discuss the use of behaviors that promote effective leadership and followership, exploring topics such as the Courage to Serve, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Enabling Others to Act, and Encouraging the Heart.

Throughout the program you will be guided in the planning of your own leadership and career development by Dr. Jones, members of your cohort and your work at your facility. The tools you will receive as a participant in this program will be of great benefit as you continue along your career trajectory. You will have the opportunity to actively network with members of your cohort, discussing timely topics such as finding your own voice and how to challenge processes in ways that will increase your chance of success.

I would encourage you to consider completing the survey when it is published online and make a commitment to advance your professional leadership abilities. Annette Kennedy, the President of the International Council of Nurses stated that, “it is essential that nurses are enabled to play a bigger role in multidisciplinary teams, working to their full potential to innovate, to lead and to advocate.” The Nightingale Challenge will assist you in facing and breaking down the barriers that hold nurses back, to work to your full potential as leaders, innovators, and health advocates for your patients, colleagues, and your communities.

Members completing the program will have opportunities to continue to develop their leadership roles as members or chairs of volunteer units within AMSN. My own journey toward leadership has truly been enhanced by my membership and volunteer work with AMSN. I have achieved goals I never would have dreamed of as a young nurse, accepted opportunities that resulted in positive impacts in the profession, and met and collaborated with some of the greatest national nurse leaders both here in the US and abroad. I would love to welcome you to find your own path toward leadership; won’t you let us help you?