When I was in nursing school, my image of myself as a leader extended to running a complex nursing unit and being an expert clinician who got things done. This head nurse goal seemed reasonable and doable (in my humble opinion). But I never achieved that goal. Instead, I find myself today leading the nation's oldest nursing organization and serving as dean at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing, one of the largest public nursing programs in the country.
So, what happened that can be considered relevant to you? The answer is permanent white water.
Peter Vaill coined the term permanent white water in 1996 as he examined characteristics of organizational behavior and the context in which we exist, as individuals and organizations. He uses the term to describe the "complex, turbulent changing environment in which we are all trying to operate" (Vaill, 1996). As humans, we are comfortable when things don't change, but the reality is that we are forced out of our comfort zone by the "unpredictable, messy, unpreventable dynamics" around us.
Several unforeseen things happened to me, like moving from Georgia to Connecticut to follow my husband's job change and realizing that my lack of a doctoral degree kept me from advancing. That meant I had to make some changes. In the process of making these changes, I encountered several new challenges, like taking my entire doctoral degree online - no small feat for this technology-challenged woman. But I didn't see any alternatives to change, which is exactly Vaill's point. In order not to drown or be cast out on some rocky edifice, it is necessary to adapt to the commotion.
In order to teach well, faculty encounter the turbulence of permanent white water often with changes in clinical care procedures, drugs, and equipment. Demands to ensure that students are safe in clinical agencies, like background checks, drug screening, and immunization documentation, all require change. As nurses, we get organized, change course content, and establish new policies and procedures for student placements. We are nimble and keep going, all the time focused on the quality of care our students provide.
So, I posit that nurse faculty are accustomed to permanent white water. We change as we focus on our goal of producing competent, compassionate nurses. We have the necessary skill set, so let's use it for ourselves and our profession. You are our future leader - not some imaginary person from the next generation or the person in the seat next to you.
Such a challenge may seem daunting, but becoming a nursing education leader is about learning new skills, actions, and perspectives that give you the acumen to navigate the permanent white water. It is a deliberate, intentional step. And the NLN can guide, direct, and teach you. The NLN knows the importance of growing nursing education leaders who are strong, resilient, and dedicated to nursing's future. For example, the NLN Leadership Institute, funded in part by Johnson & Johnson and the Galen College of Nursing, offers three programs that take place during the course of year (applications will be accepted through September 30):
* LEAD is for nurses in education or practice who have experienced a rapid transition into a leadership position or who desire to lead.
* The Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators is for experienced simulation educators.
* Executive Leadership in Nursing Education and Practice is for those who have had leadership positions for more than five years and want to revitalize their endeavors.
I have had the pleasure of attending many NLN leadership conferences and workshops. They always offer ideas that are meaningful, that challenge one's thinking. This year, for example, we learned the latest about branding ourselves and about how to use an executive coach. (In some programs, executive coaches are assigned to participants.) We were also invited to fully embrace the emerging "culture of health."
My dream of being a head nurse may not have come true, but in accepting the white water in my life, new doors opened, and my dream of leadership took new forms and substance. Walt Disney said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." Go! Don't drown in the white water. Join the leadership movement and make sure nursing education remains nimble in a white water world.
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