I had the privilege of attending Sigma Theta Tau’s 2022 Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland last month, and it was a unique and interesting experience. It was humbling to be among nurse leaders from around the world.

The presentations and posters were full of new knowledge, and it was enlightening to hear how nursing is practiced outside the U.S. Several of our AMSN leaders presented during the conference highlighting the Clinical Leadership Development Program (CLDP), our new competency model, and our DEI program. It was the perfect opportunity to emphasize AMSN’s work and to expand our international presence.

One of the sessions I attended encouraged attendees to recognize our impact as nurses locally, nationally, and globally. I think it is easy to see how we impact our local communities through our work in hospitals and clinics near where we live. Not to mention the advice we provide our family and friends whenever they ask us about their ailments.

We may also volunteer our time in the community to check blood pressures, conduct health screenings, or administer vaccinations. However, it can be harder to see how we impact the daily lives of those in areas outside our normal work and life environments.

There are many ways we impact the healthcare environment as individual nurses on a national level. If you are a member of a national professional organization like AMSN, you are impacting the products and services that are provided to members of the organization.

Volunteering your time and serving on a national committee or task force through your professional organization or another outlet amplifies your voice and allows others to benefit from your advocacy and service.

Sending letters, emails, texts, or calling your national representatives in Congress impacts the decisions they make which impacts healthcare products and services across the country. If you are a travel nurse, you impact each destination where you work with the knowledge you’ve gained working at other places across the country.

Nursing instructors educate students from across the country and the world. Teaching students the concepts needed to provide healthcare and to ensure safe, patient care is always provided is tremendously impactful to our health systems and the healthcare workforce across the world. Serving as a mentor to a colleague, a peer, or a student can be done on a local, national, or global level.

Participating in research is extremely important for all of us no matter where we are located because we can learn from the findings and adapt them to our practice environments across the world to improve outcomes. Publishing research or other articles is another way to influence healthcare across the world.

I write this post to get you to see that you are not just one nurse working one shift at one place. Our individual and collective actions have far-reaching effects. It is encouraging to think about the problems we can solve if we speak and act collectively to advocate for our profession and those we care for. Take some time to think about your impact on healthcare locally, nationally, and globally and tell us at AMSN.

It would be wonderful to hear all the ways AMSN members serve and influence the environments around us.

Advocacy - take action!
This resource connects you with policy shaping med-surg nursing practice, and with the tools you need to conveniently and effectively connect with your national- and state-level public officials. To learn how to create lasting change through our AMSN Legislative Action Center (LAC), visit here for tips and guidance. AMSN is here to help you develop your advocacy voice, whether at the unit, hospital, local, state or federal level! AMSN Legislative Consultant shares AMSN's vision as your partner in advocacy. Read more