Starting Now

Dear Members of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of AACN,

I just came back from NTI, which was an amazing experience. We are rooted in strength as we have endured and come out on the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic. While Covid-19 is not going to disappear, I want to challenge everyone to embrace our new theme “Starting Now”. Starting now I challenge each of you to start taking care of yourself. It is ok to say no and set boundaries. Our profession should feed your passion for nursing, not consume you.

How can you embrace this new perspective? Perhaps to recharge your nursing battery, you need to find the aspect of nursing that speaks to you. Our chapter has lots of opportunities for you to connect with other nurses and know you are not alone.

Are social events your jam, become a member of the social committee and helps us schedule events that are fun like Ax throwing. Maybe you love to learn new best practices to improve care. Well, join our education committee and be part of scheduling events. Trust me, vendors are chomping at the bit to help fund programs. Does research and quality improvement tickle your fancy- come join this newly forming committee!! If there is something else you want us to do, let us know and be part of its inception.

The board is also looking into scholarships for those of you returning to school, attending NTI or Options, and funding for a project or research on your unit. While these offerings still need to be operationalized, the possibilities are limitless. Starting now, we as a chapter are going to move forward together. NTI next year is in Philadelphia, let’s have a strong presence and show everyone how we are redefining ourselves.

Cristen Mackwell
Northern New Jersey Chapter of AACN President