As 2024 comes to an end, I am filled with gratitude as my tenure as president on the AMSN Board of Directors is coming to an end. Gratitude for the many different nurses and people I have met while being a volunteer leader for AMSN; for the many different cities I have traveled to for board meetings and conventions; and for the ways we have advocated and provided resources to medical-surgical nurses throughout the years to advance our membership and the specialty of medical-surgical nursing.

Reflecting on my nine years on the AMSN Board, I have made connections with nurses from around the United States that I never would have met had I not started volunteering with AMSN.  At that time in my nursing career, I was looking for connections and a community within nursing that I was not able to find at my place of work. Little did I know then, a move to a committee member for AMSN would turn into a director position and then a role as president.

In those first years, I met nurse leaders who would help guide and mentor me, not only within AMSN but also in other aspects of my nursing career. Also, I met many AMSN volunteers who have helped to shape the multiple programs, committees, and products we offer to our members. AMSN is truly an organization run by medical-surgical nurses, for medical-surgical nurses. Along with the volunteers, I have worked with many wonderful staff members who support medical-surgical nursing and continue to look for ways to bring resources and benefits to our members.

Being part of the AMSN Board does have its perks, one of which is getting to travel for board meetings and conferences throughout the year. I am grateful for the travel I have been able to do with AMSN, as a representative and advocate for the specialty of medical-surgical nursing. I have traveled to cities I do not think I would have traveled to on my own, including Rochester, Minnesota, in November for a Nursing Organization Alliance meeting, to Palm Springs, California, for an AMSN Convention. In these travels, my colleagues and I are always spreading information about medical-surgical nursing and forging connections with other nursing organizations to partner on specific initiatives. Also, I am thankful that AMSN was able to pivot to virtual meetings and conventions during COVID to promote safety and wellness for our members. These changes were put in place when needed, but have stayed in place to provide continued support for our 10,000 members.

Lastly, I am grateful for the many resources we have been able to create and provide to our AMSN members over the years. During my time here, we started Med-Surg Moments, our official AMSN podcast. This has been one of the best ways to spread information on medical-surgical nursing and support each other in this challenging profession. We have our updated 7th Edition Scope and Standards for Medical-Surgical Nursing, our Core Curriculum, 6th Edition, and our monthly webinars with free CEs for members. This is just a snapshot of the many resources we have for our members, with more coming in 2025, including a new medical-surgical nursing journal and communication portal.

This month, I would like to say thank you to our members, our volunteers, our staff, and to my fellow board members, past and present. You have made my time with AMSN fun, exciting, challenging, and fulfilling. I cannot wait to see what is next for AMSN in 2025 and beyond. I wish you all a safe holiday season that is filled with gratitude.