I suppose we should be used to it by now – Healthcare, in a constant state of change.
Working in a Trust that is about to amalgamate with another for a second time in as many years, the future can be unsettling and quite frightening.
Two basic rules of life are for sure. First, change is inevitable and secondly, everyone resists it. As nurses we are expected to ‘keep calm and carry on’, but underneath we are probably feeling quite the opposite.
Today's leaders in nursing must be able to make personnel commitment to change, not only for one's own survival but in order to encourage and influence others. We are aware that we need to lead by example, but how do we do that, particularly in the difficult and challenging times we are living in today.
Life is about evolving and actively creating change, as well as learning how to go with the flow when inevitable change comes our way.
We need to look back, revisit and rekindle our passion for nursing and take that passion to communicate a clear vision for the future. If we can recharge our motivation for change then we must embrace the passion and vision together because the future depends on all of us.
To explore how we lead others we may need to make changes in ourselves. It is important to take advantage of those ‘quiet’ moments that we have, sit with your colleagues and share your experiences and nursing stories, sad, happy and otherwise. Energise yourself!
As a role model it is important to take initiative and adopt a positive attitude and to share your voices together.
Now, I am talking about the voice of BARNA. I have often spoken of how rewarding my journey with the association has been for me personally and I am still on a quest to convince may more anaesthetic and recovery nurses as to how exciting it can be to be more involved.
Start small, be brave and submit your report for publication in the journal, then go for the article or piece of research that you have been working on and see it in the BJARN.
From there you may decide that you would like to commit a little more, take a medium step and join one of our subcommittees, education perhaps.
Then, you may want to go for the big, much larger step and join the executive committee. We need successors, and this is a fantastic way to become more involved in the speciality that you are passionate about.
Find the leader in you, make a difference and recharge your personnel power, passion and vision. Change happens every day, every moment, in every way and everywhere. We must learn to embrace change, even when it arrives with its companions, fear and uncertainty.
Do not let the two companions of change put you off – there is much more fun out there!
In the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘When you're finished changing, you're finished’.
