Tennessee Nurse - May 2022

May, June, July 2022 Tennessee Nurse Page 3
From the Executive Director
Kirk W. Lawson, CAE
Having just completed my first six months on the
job, it is hard for me to believe just how much we have
accomplished together and how fast things move here in
Tennessee.
I am pleased to report that TNA has a dedicated staff
that has taken on many challenges and new responsibilities
to keep the organization moving smoothly, and I don’t
believe there is a better or more committed volunteer
Board and/or elected Officers to help guide us.
I am sure that the articles provided in today’s
publication by TNA President, Julie Hamm, and Chief
Lobbyist, Kathleen Murphy, will do an excellent job of Kirk W. Lawson
bringing you up to date on what has transpired over the
past few months, so I’ll point out a couple of events that you can look forward to in
the coming months.
The TNA Leadership Academy will be a revamped offering that will take place on
Saturday, July 16, in Nashville. Through this program, the goal will be to engage and
educate TNA members about the association’s programs, products, and services,
along with the many leadership opportunities available to groom future nurse
leaders. In addition, a half-day parallel program is planned for pre-licensed nursing
students who are considering membership, volunteering, or leadership in the TSNA.
As you are aware, the past two TNA conferences became “virtual” due to the
seemingly never-ending pandemic. This year we are planning a hybrid conference
with the on-site component taking place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs
beginning on Thursday, October 6 and concluding on Sunday, October 9. The virtual
program will take place simultaneously and provide similar content as the in person
event, along with a few virtual only options as well. I hope to be able to upgrade
the virtual platform that we have used in the past with an eye on creating a more
satisfying virtual experience for those who cannot attend in person due to financial,
timing, or travel concerns.
For the first time since 2019, we also plan to welcome back the Tennessee
Student Nurses Association (TSNA) to our conference. The student’s pathway
will feature programming specific to their needs while also offering time for the
students to interact with our professional nurse attendees.
This year’s theme is “Creating a Path Forward.” The program will be divided
into four specific pathways: Bedside Nursing, Advanced Practice Nursing, Nursing
Educators, and Nursing Students.
The Conference Planning Committee began its work in March and is working
hard to develop a variety of relevant, compelling, and entertaining sessions within
each of these pathways.
Now, more than ever, we recognize the importance of coming together in ways
that honor the diversity of ideas and experiences that each of us bring to the table,
and we look forward to harnessing the inherent power in all nurses throughout
Tennessee to build a more inclusive, exciting, and meaningful association.
Through many arduous challenges, we have learned how to connect to each
other in new and innovative ways. We hope to capitalize on what we have learned
to further reach out to all nurses in Tennessee.
While it is true that we have not accomplished everything that we had hoped
over the past couple of years, I feel encouraged by what I have seen and have hope
that the best is yet to come.
I see the dedication of our volunteers, board, and staff, and know that, along
with our members, we will continue to push forward, learn, adapt, and grow into
one of the premier state nurses’ associations.
I want to thank each of you for your help and support of the Tennessee Nurses
Association (TNA), the Tennessee Nurses Foundation (TNF), and the Tennessee
Nurses Political Action Committee (TNPAC).
I Am TNA
Georgita Tolbert Washington, PhD, RN,
NPD-BC, MACM
I learned of the importance of membership in one’s
professional organization from of all people, my mother, the
teacher. After graduation and starting in my first nursing
position, she said two things were going to happen; I would
be starting an annuity to prepare financially for retirement,
and I would be joining my professional organization. Mom
had been an active member of her education association,
and I would be a member of the nursing association.
After graduation in 1980 from Clemson University, I
became a member of the South Carolina Nurses Association
(SCNA). As a young, single nurse, I had time and energy to
be an active member. The experiences of attending forums,
educational offerings, legislative meetings, and networking
with colleagues from other areas of the state were not only
Georgita Tolbert
Washington
invaluable, but also fun. I was able to meet many new people and have conversations
I would not have had otherwise.
After marrying, I moved to Tennessee in 1988 and became a member of the
Tennessee Nurses Association (TNA). With relocation and a new position, soon came
children, home ownership responsibilities and surprises, returning to school to earn
three additional graduate degrees, church activities, and surviving breast cancer. Add
position changes, changing organizations, increasing levels of responsibility and some
management; time became quite a precious commodity making consistent meeting
attendance a challenge. Several times during these different seasons of life, I thought,
“sleep is highly overrated!”
The value of TNA was never a question. I found other ways to support my
professional organization. As a result of my TNA membership, I was able to
become a member of the Continuing Nurse Education (CNE) Review Committee.
Not only was the process itself an education, but I also learned by reviewing the
proposed CNE offerings in nursing that were not in my areas of practice. As a
member of this CNE review committee, I wrote the first application document for
my organization to become a CNE provider unit and became its first Lead Nurse
Planner. This made CNE contact hours more readily available to local nurses. So
even when I could not always actively participate in the meetings, forums, and
other gatherings, I found other ways to be involved. The access to the journals
and newsletters filled the gap and was enough for me to want to remain a
financial member at the very least. Besides, the Association could always use
my membership dues to do its work of advocating for the healthcare consumer,
nurses, and nursing.
Membership in TNA also helped me learn about professionalism. I was able to
witness how the nursing profession lives out its mission, clinically, educationally,
and politically. I was able to see how the association impacts healthcare access,
delivery, practice, and policy. I was encouraged to write letters to the editor
and send messages to legislators regarding those issues. I could write letters
encouraging legislators to accept federal monies that would expand access to
health care to more Tennesseans that need such assistance. I could send emails
stating how Nurse Practitioners are a safe, cost-effective, and efficient way of
providing care to those who need it, and with very positive outcomes.
The most beneficial is the gathering venues that allowed me to network with
other colleagues from different areas of the state. It was great to hear about the
experiences of other nurses and that challenges are the same no matter where we
practice. It was also great to hear new ideas and solutions to similar problems that
had been successful in other areas. Membership led me to submit abstracts for
consideration, leading to presenting several educational offerings at TNA conventions,
giving me even more opportunities for networking.
Membership in TNA led to a desire to seek and obtain certification in almost every
specialty area in which I have practiced, including being one of the first to be certified
as a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CCNS).
Now retired, I can reflect on a nursing career that has only been enhanced by
membership in TNA. It has also given me many opportunities to support the work of
my professional organization. I would not have missed this ride for anything!