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January 27, 2003
By Dr. Lynne Dunphy
We are all, in late January 2003, living under the threat of imminent war. I am sure that we share a wish for peace and for the safety of our families and others around the world. And we currently, in the United States, live in a time of a "Bear" stock market, with some segments of our population unemployed and without health care benefits. We live in a time of rising health care costs - out of control health care costs, some experts say - and a nursing shortage that is showing no signs of diminishing. Life expectancies, in our country, are rising. According to current statistics, people are living longer, and better. What does all this portend for nursing, our chosen profession, and for you, the individual nurse?
Well, it is apparent that life around us changes as quickly as a flick of your computer mouse, as has health care, and life within the nursing profession. Keeping abreast of these changes, and giving some thought to them, allow a greater amount of control over your individual and professional lives. It gives you a context in which to place your dreams. What do you want for yourself this year, for your family? As you sit at your computer reading these words, try to take a few minutes to reflect on what you want, for this coming year, but also across the span of your life. Do you want a Lexus? Do you want to talk with Nelson Mandala, one-on-one, about peace in this world? Do you want to go mountain climbing? Do you want to lose weight and exercise more? Do you want to improve your family relationships? Do you want to have more time to read more? Do you want to go back to school and get an advanced degree?
Believe it or not, the sheer act of writing these wishes out increases the likelihood that they will occurr. Lou Holtz, famed Notre Dame football coach, wrote a list of 107 goals in 1967 when he was unemployed. "My life changed after I made that list," Holtz is quoted as saying recently. His list included getting invited to dinner at the White House, and appearing on The Tonite Show, both goals he achieved, as well as other career goals. He also set goals for parenting and his spiritual life. The first step in making any dream a reality is simply writing it down. What you write down is highly personal, as unique as you are, as a person. Take a few minutes to dream - what do you want to happen in your lifetime, before you die? And what would you like, specifically, to happen this next year? Don't start with Resolutions, and should lists you have probably already broken. Instead, start with your dreams - and then problem-solve ways to make these dreams a reality.
We might also give a few minutes of thoughts to our dreams for nursing - in an ideal world, what would our nursing lives be like? Although in this area also, we will find unique dreams and visions, I am sure that we can find some shared ones - and give voice to them, bringing their reality closer. I will share a few of mine. A health care system controlled by nurses is the one that is at the top of my list. Hospitals run by nurses, who intimately understand the needs of patients and families. Hospitals run by nurses who understand what patients and families do - and do not - need from doctors. Hospitals where the nurses design and stock the units, again, intimately understanding the needs of patients and families and the type of hospital setting needed to create healing environments. Hospital environments that foster the practice of professional nursing, the kind of nursing you learned in school and frequently cannot practice.
What are your dreams for nursing? Please share. In the many different dreams and wishes we may have, we will create a new and beautiful multi-hued picture of nursing, like Joseph's many colored dream coat. The future is always fantastic; and dreams are always achievable. We can begin by giving voice to them.
About the Author: Dr. Lynn Dunphy is the Graduate Program Coordinator at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University. You can e-mail your comments or questions to Dr. Dunphy at ldunphy@fau.edu
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