Fall has always been my favorite time of year; not only for the cooler weather, football, and chili, but also because of the beginning of a new school year. Ever since I was a child and throughout my adult life I have enjoyed shopping for school supplies and clothing, listening for the “crack” as I opened a brand new textbook and the wide array of new learning opportunities that lay ahead of me. I admit it, I’m a geek.

I still have opportunities to “get my geek on” during this season because new students are starting in nursing programs and I get to attend AMSN’s Annual Convention as well as several other nursing conferences where I can learn new and exciting things.

Yes, this year will feel a bit different since it’s all virtual, but I’m determined to make this a positive learning experience by showing up in front of my computer every day and taking notes, taking opportunities to visit with other nurses about their practice and experiences over the past year, and what they found interesting about the session we just attended together.

I’m also excited about other opportunities for professional development that AMSN is working on. Did you know that AMSN’s Core Curriculum for Medical-Surgical Nursing is being updated?

Heather Craven is the editor and she, along with a host of other authors, is working hard to provide pertinent and timely information. There are several new chapters in the Core this year as well including Stroke, LGBTQ topics, Domestic Partner Abuse and Human Trafficking and Healthy Practice Environment. Look for this to be available in 2021!

We are also working on a certificate program involving the provision of care to patients who have behavioral health concerns and are admitted to medical-surgical units. I’ve been able to review a couple of the modules at this point and they are fabulous! I think you will find them very helpful in your own practice.

We will be placing a call for volunteers in the near future for work on several task forces including workplace violence, caring for the LGBTQ population, and DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity). These are all topics that are timely and pertinent to medical-surgical nursing. Please keep an eye out for these volunteer opportunities.

For those of you who need resources for any work you may be doing for school, your unit, or just your own information, I’m very excited to share with you that AMSN members will have an opportunity to gain access to full-text article access to both CINAHL® Complete and Medline® Complete via EBSCO Health, for a very nominal fee of $5.00/year!

Yep, that’s not a misprint - $5.00 (or 500 pennies) will provide you with a year’s worth of access to research databases, journals, e-books and more. Look for an invitation to purchase your subscription soon.

So now that I’ve shared all of the great things AMSN is doing this fall tell me, are you ready to get your own “geek on”?