The difference one person can make in the world has been discussed by many over the years. I recall the story of the woman who planted 20,000 daffodils on the hills surrounding her property. A passerby was in awe of the magnificent view. When asked how you tackled such an enormous task, the woman responded, "I planted them one at a time."
A personal experience during a Surgery Weekend recently made me think about the Power of One as it relates to volunteer service. Fresh Start Surgical Gifts is a nonprofit organization that brings together a community of volunteers on Surgery Weekends to provide free reconstructive surgery and other services to children and young people with physical deformities. These patients would not be able to afford these services any other way.
It takes more than 100 volunteers to provide these services. A team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, pre-op nurses, circulating RNs, scrub nurses and techs, PACU nurses, and many nonmedical personnel all come together to make Surgery Weekend possible.
A couple of years ago, I was thinking about how to increase the number of people volunteering to provide more services. My thought was that staff at a medical facility might find volunteering as a group to be a great way to give back to the community and at the same time enjoy each other's familiar company in a new environment. This idea developed into the "Adopt a Surgery Weekend" concept.
Ingrid Cockrill, RN, the PACU Manager at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, California, had learned of Fresh Start and was volunteering regularly. She thought "Adopt a Surgery Weekend" was a perfect fit for the staff at her hospital. After presentations were made to the OR and PACU, several staff members agreed. They selected a weekend, and we began the signup process. Several staff members saw this as an opportunity to volunteer with their families, both introducing their teenaged children to the healthcare profession and cultivating the spirit of volunteerism in them.
Their first weekend was a great success. People left with the sense that they had made a difference in a child's life. That was in 2005. As of March 2008, more than 100 Tri-City volunteers have adopted five Surgery Weekends and helped provide more than $1,000,000 in services. In addition, it all started with one person, Ingrid.
One person can make a difference, and one action can make a difference. For the Plastic Surgical Nursing Journal, one article can make a difference. In sharing your experience, research and clinical innovations with your colleagues, you will be making the difference not only in the lives of the readers but also in the care they give their patients. This is truly the Power of One.
The valuable input of ASPSN members is essential to keep the journal growing in quality and content that is valuable to your practice. Please feel free to forward your comments to me and the Editorial Board by writing us at Plastic Surgical Nursing, American Society of Plastic Surgery Nurses, 7794 Grow Drive, Pensacola, FL 32514-7072, or by sending an e-mail to Candise Flippin at [email protected].