Happy spring to all of our membership! It has been a rough, cold, and snowy winter for so many of you, and we hope that the tulips and daffodils have spouted, the sun is shining, and you are almost thawed out!!!! Spring brings a renewed sense of energy to so many of us, and it is the perfect season for staying in touch with or reconnecting with your trauma colleagues!
We hope everyone who was able to travel to Jacksonville had a wonderful educational and networking conference. We welcomed our new President, Julie Nash, President-elect, Joan Pirrung, and Secretary, Amber Kyle, to the executive board, and there is no question that this will be another excellent year for your society. Several new directors-at-large join the board this year, all ready to tackle trauma health care issues while rolling out the trauma certified registered nurse review course to help everyone prepare for the BCEN beta test still expected in the fall of this year! And, be sure and mark your calendars for the 2016 annual conference March 30-April 2, 2016 in Anaheim, California. The conference planning is already underway, and there is no doubt that it will be another excellent opportunity to connect, network, and find out what is new in trauma across the continuum.
Many, many thanks to our immediate past president, Kathi Ayers, for her amazing dedication, commitment, vision, and leadership during this past year. The moment she had all of the 2014 conference attendees volunteering, we knew it would be a successful year under her guidance-and she definitely did not disappoint!
Many thanks to all of our outgoing board members for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to the success of the Society of Trauma Nurses. This membership organization thrives because there are so many interested individuals who understand what we do, see where we have been and where we can go, and who dedicate their energies to ensuring the success of this amazing organization. Kudos to all-we now hope that many of you are wondering how to get involved.
There are many opportunities for involvement within the society, and you do not have to be an officially elected board member to do that. There are several different special interest groups-injury prevention, pediatrics, and advance practice. Find out more about the leadership institute designed to offer support from the bedside to the board room while connecting with your peers and colleagues across the country. Join the mentoring program either as a mentor or a mentee. Write for the journal, which is a very safe place to spread your writing (and research) wings as our journal editor and editorial board member mentors are willing to work with you to help ensure your success as a writer and contributor to best practice, research, and trauma care across the continuum.
Attend a class-TOPIC, OPTIMAL, or ATCN-and maybe even find out how to be an instructor and an expert in your own community. Ready to formally serve? There is the board of directors with nominations in the early winter and membership calls for committees such as membership, annual conference, pediatrics, and leadership throughout the year. Finally, the society had their first fundraiser for a research endowment, which is a very exciting natural growth for your organization. Watch our Web site, newsletters, and blasts for more information as that program begins to take root and grow.
As spring and your new board members settle in, know that your membership with this society is both valued and appreciated. Your dedication and commitment to the care of the trauma patient across the entire continuum is what drives your board to continue to dream, grow, and thrive. YOU are why we exist and we sincerely hope that you will continue to become engaged in the success of the organization, to push the society to stay current and relevant, and to ensure that each and every patient and family we encounter receives the care they need to return to the best they can be.