What advice would you give to nurses and nursing students ?
• Be involved and show up . You will find friends and mentors .
• Read your emails . Keep your eyes open to the world – and the bulletin boards – around you . I owe my current position as the founding executive director and professor of nursing at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to reading an unsolicited email .
• Watch your “ buts !” Use the word “ and ” instead . “ But ” negates everything stated before it . For example , PSNA can do this AND will face challenges . In addition , change the word “ should ” to “ will .”
ambulance to take their loved ones to a hospital to be pronounced dead by a doctor . However , ambulance crews had to undertake resuscitation efforts . Families were horrified as their loved ones were worked on when RNs were standing by .
In 1999 I moved to California and started in academia . As a grad student at the University of California at San Francisco ( UCSF ), I was hired by Professor Charlene Harrington to administer her health resources and services administration ( HRSA ) grant to start the MSN and PhD programs in nursing and health policy . While in California , I also served with the American Nurses Association \ California ( ANA \ C ) board of directors as a delegate to ANA conventions and with the American Psychiatric Nurses Association .
Through my PhD dissertation I explored the scholarship of leadership and professional nursing . My dissertation was a case study applied to the ANA as it struggled to be a professional society and a labor organization . Over a decade later , I participated in the Membership Assembly as ANA ended their designation as a labor organization .
Each professional situation taught me that I wasn ’ t leaving anything – I was going toward something . It seems like all my experiences have prepared me for my role as president of PSNA .
What brought you from a successful career in California back home to Pennsylvania ? I realized I missed Pennsylvania when social media brought me back for a high school reunion . I accepted a position at Dusquene University in 2011 . I had also met my partner , Bob Krambuhl , in Harrisburg and we moved to California together . He stayed in California and we are now bicoastal . We celebrate 20 years together this January !
Can new-to-practice and experienced RNs who were never involved become active in PSNA ? Definitely . More than 600 PSNA members ( and growing !) are new-to-practice RNs . SNAP is the largest constituent in the NSNA . The potential for involvement is unlimited . Any time is a good time to become active in professional associations . With five generations in the workplace , PSNA provides a chance for RNs from all backgrounds and specialty areas to meet and be involved . Come with your colleagues or come alone like I did .
What is your vision for PSNA ? First , to be recognized as the premier nursing organization in the state and the voice that nurses , policymakers , and the public rely upon . Being part of a profession is a social contract and our agreement with society as nurses . Second , to maintain and grow involvement of existing and new members . RNs can find a professional home in PSNA . Networks , friendships , sustainability , advocacy , and support for the profession go forward because of involvement .
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