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Continue the Legacy
Editorial
Continue the Legacy
T
he symbolic presence of four presidents carved into the side of a mountain reminds me there is no challenge or adversity that cannot be overcome. That was my thought last month as I stood at the foothills of Mount Rushmore. NCSBN held its Leadership and Public Policy Conference in Rapid City, South Dakota. We selected this venue because part of the program was to learn about the history and the impact American leaders have made on regulation and public policy. The overall objective was for regulators to learn, be inspired, and have a renewed sense of purpose to continue their role in government. As a regulator, I am acutely aware of what it takes to change public policy. The legislative process can be arduous, and challenges can come from unexpected directions. Sometimes the easiest road is to do nothing. But then again, it was once said that the hallmark of gold medal champions is their ability to change the sport and make it better because they were in it. I cannot help but think that this is also the hallmark of leadership: the ability to change the profession and make it better because you were in it. One of the most profound lessons in change and policy was demonstrated by the founders of NCSBN. Thirty-five years ago, in the midst of adversity, they were unafraid to challenge the norm, speak their minds, and do what they believed to be right: establish an organization separate from the profession to safeguard the public and ensure safety in the practice of nursing. Their courage and leadership were captured in a poignant message by Margaret Elibee, the daughter of NCSBN’s first president, Elaine Elibee. At a luncheon in her mother’s honor at NCSBN’s 2013 Annual Meeting, Margaret described her mother and the six other women who changed nursing regulation: “These women were an audacious group who dared to propose the concept of the National Council of State Board of Nursing.” They had the desire for the best of the nursing profession and for the public’s health and safety.” They also had courage, intellect, and vision. Today, regulators need such courage, intellect, and vision as we face the challenges before us. How will the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act affect nursing and how will we respond Volume 4/Issue 3 October 2013
if an additional 30 million people seek health care services? Will telehealth change nursing? Will it change regulation? Will states work together in a unified strategy to enact the components of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation and bring uniformity to state laws? Will all states enact fingerprint-based criminal background checks to ensure the highest degree of safety for patients? Will two models of licensure continue to serve the needs of the profession? And will regulators embrace new methods for discipline that discourage recidivism and make health care safer? These are just a few of the many challenges regulators face in the next few years. How will the state boards of nursing address them? Theodore Roosevelt, one of the Mount Rushmore presidents, once said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” In the words of Margaret Elibee, “Our mother and all the founding members of this organization have left a vibrant, strong, visionary legacy for each of you. … Her expectation is that this legacy of excellence will continue on with you. Because if you don’t [continue the legacy], who will? If you don’t push those quality standards and push for excellence in nursing regulation, who will? And that’s the pillar of this organization. I know my mother, and she would say, ‘You’re going to go forth and do great things,’ and she’d expect you to do it, and I think you will. That was mother’s charge, and now it’s yours. It is a legacy; pay it forward, not only for the vibrancy of this organization, but for the public health and safety, and the advancement of this noble profession and the state boards each of you govern and lead.” Maryann Alexander, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor-in-Chief
www.journalofnursingregulation.com
3
Continue the Legacy
T
he symbolic presence of four presidents carved into the side of a mountain reminds me there is no challenge or adversity that cannot be overcome. That was my thought last month as I stood at the foothills of Mount Rushmore. NCSBN held its Leadership and Public Policy Conference in Rapid City, South Dakota. We selected this venue because part of the program was to learn about the history and the impact American leaders have made on regulation and public policy. The overall objective was for regulators to learn, be inspired, and have a renewed sense of purpose to continue their role in government. As a regulator, I am acutely aware of what it takes to change public policy. The legislative process can be arduous, and challenges can come from unexpected directions. Sometimes the easiest road is to do nothing. But then again, it was once said that the hallmark of gold medal champions is their ability to change the sport and make it better because they were in it. I cannot help but think that this is also the hallmark of leadership: the ability to change the profession and make it better because you were in it. One of the most profound lessons in change and policy was demonstrated by the founders of NCSBN. Thirty-five years ago, in the midst of adversity, they were unafraid to challenge the norm, speak their minds, and do what they believed to be right: establish an organization separate from the profession to safeguard the public and ensure safety in the practice of nursing. Their courage and leadership were captured in a poignant message by Margaret Elibee, the daughter of NCSBN’s first president, Elaine Elibee. At a luncheon in her mother’s honor at NCSBN’s 2013 Annual Meeting, Margaret described her mother and the six other women who changed nursing regulation: “These women were an audacious group who dared to propose the concept of the National Council of State Board of Nursing.” They had the desire for the best of the nursing profession and for the public’s health and safety.” They also had courage, intellect, and vision. Today, regulators need such courage, intellect, and vision as we face the challenges before us. How will the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act affect nursing and how will we respond Volume 4/Issue 3 October 2013
if an additional 30 million people seek health care services? Will telehealth change nursing? Will it change regulation? Will states work together in a unified strategy to enact the components of the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation and bring uniformity to state laws? Will all states enact fingerprint-based criminal background checks to ensure the highest degree of safety for patients? Will two models of licensure continue to serve the needs of the profession? And will regulators embrace new methods for discipline that discourage recidivism and make health care safer? These are just a few of the many challenges regulators face in the next few years. How will the state boards of nursing address them? Theodore Roosevelt, one of the Mount Rushmore presidents, once said “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” In the words of Margaret Elibee, “Our mother and all the founding members of this organization have left a vibrant, strong, visionary legacy for each of you. … Her expectation is that this legacy of excellence will continue on with you. Because if you don’t [continue the legacy], who will? If you don’t push those quality standards and push for excellence in nursing regulation, who will? And that’s the pillar of this organization. I know my mother, and she would say, ‘You’re going to go forth and do great things,’ and she’d expect you to do it, and I think you will. That was mother’s charge, and now it’s yours. It is a legacy; pay it forward, not only for the vibrancy of this organization, but for the public health and safety, and the advancement of this noble profession and the state boards each of you govern and lead.” Maryann Alexander, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor-in-Chief
www.journalofnursingregulation.com
3