The 2017 President's Theme: Guided by Why
Posted about 8 years ago by Jenny Sinclair
AACN President Christine Schulman says that children learn by asking WHY, using it to make sense of things and their world. She also says that it seems that asking why has become a lost art for adults. She asks, “Have we stopped asking why? Somewhere along the line, as grownups, have we become intimidated — or perhaps even irritated — by it? Have we forgotten how to use it as a tool to accomplish our goals: as a compass, as an anchor, as a voice about things that matter?”
It’s obvious to me that we nurses faithfully use why as our guide
Christine Schulman
In his book “Start With Why,” Simon Sinek says people are inspired to take action and be a part of something bigger than themselves when they understand the WHY behind what they’re doing. When they see how it connects to their own core purposes and beliefs.
This thought forms the basis of our theme for 2017-2018, Guided by Why.
Click HERE to watch President Christine Schulman's inspirational address from the 2017 National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition in Houston.
“It’s obvious to me that we nurses faithfully use why as our guide,” Schulman says. “In fact, we can’t ever forget our WHY — be it talking to patients, or mastering hemodynamics, or conducting research. Because our WHYs are exactly what our patients, our colleagues, our healthcare systems, depend on.”
She invites others to join her in reconnecting with our WHY.
“When we do this,” she says, “we reaffirm our core purpose and have a guiding beacon for what we can — what we must — do to ensure that every patient gets the excellent care they deserve. And that every nurse has the tools and the skills they need to provide that care.”