Welcome to the Board of Directors Spotlight series. Meet Patricia Bartzak, DNP, RN, CMSRN, TCRN, CNRN, secretary of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) Board of Directors. A native of Natick, Massachusetts, Bartzak is a staff nurse at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. She has 22 years of experience as a medical-surgical nurse and has held numerous volunteer positions for AMSN. Get to know Patricia here.

What does medical-surgical nursing mean to you?

I continue to practice as a staff nurse at a Level 1 trauma center in Massachusetts. Over the past two decades, I have provided direct patient care to a variety of patients who have required differing levels of care from medical-surgical to intensive care settings. My practice foundation is rooted in medical-surgical nursing characterized by a broad base of knowledge, critical thinking, patient-focus, best practices, and teamwork. It is a privilege to care for patients who are at their most vulnerable and offer advocacy and caring.

How did you get started with AMSN?

About two years after becoming a registered nurse, I was motivated to learn more about my profession as a medical-surgical nurse. I saw that AMSN is the premier organization that supports medical-surgical nursing practice, education, and research. I joined AMSN in 2004 and have been CMSRN certified for the past 20 years.

What was your journey to the AMSN Board of Directors, and why did you decide to join the board?

Over the past 20 years, I have volunteered for a number of AMSN initiatives, including the Research Committee, Clinical Practice Committee, column editor for Joining Forces: Veterans Health, column editor for Safe Bedside Care, Certification Committee, and the Core Curriculum Task Force. I applied to be on the board of directors in 2015 and 2019 but was not selected. Eventually in 2021, I was selected to serve on the board of directors. I wanted to join the board of directors to represent medical-surgical staff nurses and their interests, as I was and still am intimately familiar with these issues.

What are your goals as a member of the AMSN Board of Directors?

My goal for AMSN is to be more outward looking with a focus on providing medical-surgical nursing education both here and abroad, as cross-pollination of ideas strengthens and informs medical-surgical nursing practice around the globe. Another goal is to open the board of directors voting privileges to general AMSN membership to ensure that all voices have a chance to be heard.

What are you most excited about at AMSN and in the field of medical-surgical nursing?

I am most excited about how nurses are searching the literature to incorporate evidence-based practices into their work environments through their workgroups, which is then reflected in updated best practices and policies. This is exciting because high-quality evidence has shown to improve patient outcomes and potentially alleviate human suffering.

What is one contribution you’ve made to medical-surgical nursing, big or small, that you are most proud of?

I am most proud of my contributions to the AMSN Scope and Standards of Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice, 7th edition. I worked with an amazing team of other nurses to produce a document that is being approved by the American Nurses Association. We have included several important enhancements, including the new critical thinking standard and sections on caring, social determinants of health, and artificial intelligence.

What is something you’d like members to know about you that they might not already know?

I put my personal email address and cell phone number in my signature line. I am available to assist members in any way I can.

For more information about the AMSN Board of Directors, visit the AMSN website.