The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! I have attended a think tank on the professional identity formation of nurses in which I had the honor to collaborate with 49 other nurse leaders across education, legislation, and practice. Last week was AMSN’s National Convention and what a wonderful experience that was! More than 1,300 nurses gathered to discuss, learn, and network. It was 3 days filled with plenty of joy, comradery, and hard work. If you haven’t been to a national convention, please consider attending next year in Las Vegas – it’s money well spent, and you will make memories of a lifetime in addition to connections to friends new and old and information that is cutting edge to guide your practice.

We announced exciting initiatives during the convention as well such as the upcoming release of behavioral health modules and the development of an evidence-based practice program to help nurses develop their own evidence-based practice projects and integrate findings into their practice. One initiative that I am very excited about is AMSN’s participation in the Nightingale Challenge. This is an initiative developed by the World Health Organization and the International Council of Nurses in recognition of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife which is also the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

AMSN’s participation in the Nightingale Challenge will entail the leadership development and opportunities for volunteerism of at least 20 young professional nurses under the age of 35. The initiative will be headed up by Dr. Terry Jones and I’m sure that all those who participate will enjoy the experience. One of the members of this group will also be selected to participate at the board of director’s level as a non-voting member. This nurse will provide insight into the challenges and needs of young professional nurses and will learn about leadership at this higher level. Today, I’m headed to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Nurses on Boards Coalition. This coalition is made up of a group of nurse leaders who are working to provide the leadership skills and knowledge to nurses so that they can serve on boards in their facilities, their communities and at the national level. I’m very excited that AMSN is a participant in this work as well; every nurse should consider themselves a leader. If we can envision it, want it ardently enough, and act upon it we can ensure that in the near future, nurses will be an important part of every conversation regarding the health of the population in the private, corporate, and legislative sectors!

As nurses who work more closely with patients than any other health professional, it should be a given that we have a seat at the board. Once we arrive there, we need to stand up, speak up, present evidence to support our concerns, and continue to help the development and progression of younger professional nurses. Individually, nurses are powerful; collectively, we are a force to be reckoned with!