Grounded in the Past, Embracing the Present, Confident in the Future
Article Outline
Linda L. Lindeke, PhD, RN, CPNP, President and Fellow
This is the season of gathering with family and friends, a time of celebration, reflection, and new beginnings in the approaching new year. With every passing year I treasure more deeply the sustaining value of my personal and professional relationships. I also ponder the essence and importance of relationship building.
I chose pediatrics because children are endlessly fascinating. Whether in child care centers, airports, or clinical practice, even brief relationships with children bring me fresh insights, energy, and joy. I practice in a neonatal intensive care follow-up clinic and see the amazing resilience of children and families who have experienced prematurity. I also make monthly visits as a child care consultant to the Center my own children attended more than 20 years ago. There I help the staff maintain high standards and build strong nurturing connections with families. NAPNAP has been a sustaining influence in my 30-plus years as a pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) and has been a vehicle for building professional relationships and enhancing my expertise for career success.
NAPNAP is Grounded in Our Past
The PNP role was created to enhance child and family well-being through professional excellence. Dr. Loretta Ford, our honored guest at the 2008 NAPNAP Conference, founded the PNP role and has continued to inspire us all with her strength and humor. She was convinced that nurses could do more than they were permitted to do in the 1960s, and she used her influence to develop a sound educational program and interprofessional partnerships that are the foundation of today's successful advanced practice nursing roles. We will be forever grateful to Dr. Ford for her wisdom and role modeling.
In her honor, the first-ever reception specifically for PNP students was held at our Nashville Conference. The excitement in the room was palpable as Dr. Ford greeted students and faculty from all over the United States. Even some international students met the PNP pioneer they had heard so much about. Ever whimsical, she wore a “Superwoman” costume and entered the reception with a flourish. She truly demonstrated “joie de vive” (joy in life) as she shared her stories and encouraged the students. NAPNAP treasures its relationship with Dr. Ford, and the Board recently voted to award her a lifetime “member emeritus” status.
NAPNAP Embraces the Present
The NAPNAP board, staff, and key stakeholders are currently engaged in a 5-year strategic planning process, creatively forecasting trends and envisioning initiatives. Do you have ideas for improving the National Office, Chapters, Conferences, or Member Services? We will engage NAPNAP members in the strategic planning process at the 2009 Conference in San Diego. The pace of change is so rapid, and we want to keep NAPNAP on the cutting edge for child/family advocacy and health care excellence. Please contact us with your concerns and ideas. I want to credit the dedicated NAPNAP volunteer leaders and staff these past 35 years for their wise decisions and pledge to uphold those standards of excellence and creativity.
NAPNAP is Confident in the Future
The success of the Student Reception led us to plan an even bigger student reception in 2009. Do you precept a PNP student? Do you know someone just about to graduate? Please encourage students to attend the National Conference so they can be inspired by the vitality of NAPNAP and aspire to career excellence. It is vital to build relationships between those entering the profession and its role model leaders. Past President Carolyn Montoya and her University of New Mexico colleagues obtained funding from an anonymous donor to pay the registrations for all their PNP students. Pictured here are those students with Carolyn and Dr. Ford (Figure). Students are the future of NAPNAP; we must socialize with them and involve them in our profession.
Figure.
Students from University of New Mexico and their faculty with Dr. Loretta Ford at the 2008 Loretta Ford Reception, Nashville, TN. Front row: Mahshid Roohi, Cheryl Sinclair, Van Nguyen, Carolyn Jaramillo Montoya (faculty), Dr. Loretta Ford, Roberta Romero, and Joanne Bartram (faculty). Back row: Lori Lindsay. This figure can be viewed in color online at www.jpedhc.org.
In the future it remains essential to safeguard PNPs' hard-won practice autonomy. Increasing the visibility of PNPs' contributions to health care excellence is urgent. Children and families must have access to high-quality cost-effective health care, and NAPNAP's public policy advocacy is one of the key benefits purchased by membership in the organization. PNPs once practiced in the shadows with little regulatory or legal definitions or protection; through the efforts of powerful nursing leaders and far-sighted policy makers, that scenario is no longer the case. But maintaining the status quo is not acceptable. There is an old expression that “If you are not moving ahead you are falling behind.” Following Dr. Ford's powerful example, we must examine previous successes and setbacks, form coalitions with like-minded constituencies, and boldly embrace the challenges and opportunities offered by this current push for health care reform. May we carry the best of the past, the excellence of the present, and the optimism of future possibilities. Hold on to the relationships that inspire and energize you. My wish for you all in 2009 is that you will be a positive force for health and healing and that the joy of working with children and families will inspire you to greater accomplishments and satisfaction. On behalf of NAPNAP, I wish you a happy new year!
PII: S0891-5245(08)00227-7
doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2008.07.006
