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  1. Fonkalsrud, Lisa BSN, RN, CGRN

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"The future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so." - -Zig Ziglar

  
Lisa Fonkalsrud, BSN... - Click to enlarge in new windowLisa Fonkalsrud, BSN, RN, CGRN

Almost every successful person begins with these two beliefs.

 

I love this powerful quote because it rings so true. Healthcare, and especially gastroenterology nursing, is ever-changing and evolving. Breaking the mold and doing things differently has become a necessity. As I was preparing my theme and thinking about the host city of SGNA's 43rd Annual Course, I came across the story of a small fish market located in Seattle's famous Pike Place Market. Pike Place Fish started out as a fairly unknown small shop and morphed itself into a highly successful business that is now a major tourist attraction. The fishmongers simply decided that they would be world famous and then set out to make it so. At Pike Place Fish, each fishmonger is committed to being world famous, each is committed to assisting their fellow crew members to be the best they can be, and each is committed to making a positive difference in people's lives. So, let's take a closer look and see just how they accomplished this.

 

The fishmongers decided to choose how they want to experience their reality. They believe that nothing happens to you, but that things happen and you choose how to respond. When you are proactive and feel like you are in control, then your entire attitude shifts. In addition, the individual employee is highly valued by the owners and the managers. Their belief is that organizational greatness begins with individual greatness. Open, honest, and continuous communication is key. Each employee holds every other employee responsible for upholding the organizational goals, culture, and mission. When things do not go so well, employees are confronted in a respectful manner. When things do go well, employees are also recognized.

 

Most opportunities for transformation come out of a problem or a conflict. Conflict occurs when your experience does not match your expectation. The bigger the conflict or problem, the greater the opportunity for growth and transformation.

 

You generate greatness when you start expanding your focus and intention beyond yourself. Fun happens with a commitment to making a difference for others. Customers always notice if employees are happy and would much rather give their business and hard-earned money to a friendly place. Healthcare, while not traditionally thought of as a business, is definitely a business. Patients now have many choices on where to receive their care. They are quickly becoming educated consumers. They will go where they have the best chance for the best experience.

 

It is important to remember that greatness cannot come at the expense of someone else's performance. Everyone has to be performing at a high level. The transformation begins with you. Wouldn't it be fantastic if every gastrointestinal patient could leave their office visit or procedure feeling like they had experienced world-class treatment?

 

How are you breaking the mold at your workplace? Are you performing innovative procedures? Do you have outstanding customer service? What makes your workplace stand out?

 

SGNA is breaking the mold and creating greatness as well. We are using our 2015-2017 Strategic Plan to guide us into several new areas. Our goals are related to membership, quality care, and the Future of Nursing.

 

We are working on expanding our reach to include increased numbers of gastroenterology technicians, ambulatory surgical center professionals, and gastroenterology and hepatology nurses in all practice settings. Some of these professionals do not even know that SGNA exists! So we will be engaging our regional societies to help us reach out to some of these untapped markets. We will also develop educational and informational products and services tailored for these new members.

 

SGNA's Infection Prevention Champions Program continues to be on the cutting edge of providing much-needed resources to participants. This program is now in its third year. Challenges related to infection control continue to arise, especially in the wake of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae transmission associated with contaminated duodenoscopes for which no breaches in reprocessing were identified. Providing the information for our members to provide safe, quality care is a high priority for SGNA.

 

Finally, SGNA will support the education and implementation of the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing recommendations applicable to the gastroenterology practice by promoting nurses practicing to the full extent of their training and education. This includes nurse endoscopists and advanced practice registered nurses. We also plan to develop a "transition to practice" program for nurses new to the specialty of gastroenterology. This is much needed as nurses transition to the specialty.

 

SGNA will continue to contribute to and promote the utilization of evidence-based practice. We were the first nursing organization to partner with the Joanna Briggs Institute in Australia and Texas Christian University to create our Scholars and Fellows program. We just accepted our third class this year. Both groups are contributing to our knowledge of evidence-based practice through their research and systematic reviews. There will be some exciting projects coming out of these two groups!

 

I'm excited to share this journey with you over the next year. Let's go out and break the mold to create greatness in our specialty!

 

REFERENCE

 

Crother C. Crew of the World Famous Pike Place Fish. (2004). Catch! A Fishmonger's Guide to Greatness. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler