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General session speakers teach life lessons the fun way
JUNE 1998, VOL 67, NO 6 GENERAL SESSIONS
General session speakers teach life lessons the fun way Tuesday, March 3 1, 1998; Wednesday, April 1, 1998 CNOR, Somers Point, NJ, added, “I think (Dr Hammerschlag) was very inspiring and certainly motivational. He was able to take the theme of AORN and incorporate it into a very moving speech.” LAURA CASTLE
ongress attendees were laughing, smiling, and even juggling at this year’s general sessions, where speakers provided valuable advice on dealing with life’s stress, coping with change, and soaring into the future.
C
SENIOR EDITOR AORN JOURML
SOARING INTO THE FUTURE: THE POWER OF CHOICE
C
arl Hammerschlag, MD, encouraged attendees HEALTH THROUGH CREATIVE at the Jerry G. Peers Lectureship, sponsored by SILLINESS: JUGGLING LIFE‘S STRESS the Exhibitors’ Advisory Committee, to “look again teve Allen, Jr, MD, has humor in his blood. at everything you do.” This is important because Son of well-known comedian Steve Allen, the “the way it was is not the way it is.” If you are physician has learned to bring humor into his daily unwilling to look at change, he said, you are like a routine. “Life is a juggling act,” Dr Allen noted in clock radio that is set to one station-you don’t lishis address, “Health through creative silliness: Jugten to any of the other stations that are available and gling life’s stress.” These days, nurses have so many you wake to the same music every morning. Dr balls in the air and so many spheres of responsibiliHammerschlag told attendees they should come to ty, said Dr Allen, that they perform a daily juggling every day with joy. act. To demonstrate his belief that juggling those “It doesn’t matter what you’ve got, it only matters responsibilities is easier if you can infuse them with how you come to what you’ve got.” He encouraged humor and silliness, he promptly taught the audieveryone to be connected with something or someence how to juggle. one. “This is why we have belly buttons,” he said, “it Laughing, giggling, and dancing to rock-and-roll reminds us that we were once connected to someone music, the audience else.” These are all things willingly participated in that we should look at, he the 12 steps to learning said, if we want to soar how to juggle pieces of into the future. gauze. “It’s a reminder Attendees enjoyed not to take myself too the speech and looked seriously even when I forward to implementdo serious work,” said ing their new knowlDr Allen of his juggling edge into their working efforts. environments. Pamela As gauze squares Stolee, RN, Ames, lofted by the aspiring Iowa, said, “We are jugglers floated about right now building a the hall, Dr Allen new OR central supply reminded the audience ICU and I think this that “Yeah, buts” get in would apply very well the way of anticipating to take back to my staff success. Statements and the hospital as far that start with “Yeah, as change being good.” Dr Hammerschlagtells the audience it does not matter what matters Is how they come to what they have. but” can affect how we Charlotte Zacker, RN, they hav-hat
S
1167 AORN JOURNAL
JUNE 1998, VOL 67, NO 6 GENERAL SESSIONS
Minn, about Dr Allen’s speech. “It was great, and I’m going to use it at work,” said Robert Whitfield, RN, CNOR, West Palm Beach, Fla. Patricia Koehmstedt, RN, CNOR, Denver, said, “I thought it was great. It was a lot of fun.” When asked if she learned to juggle, she laughed and said, “Not quite as good as he did, but it was fun trying.” Carolyn Phillips, RN, CNOR, Maryville, Tenn, said, “It was wonderful. He was great! I really enjoyed it.” Did she learn to juggle? “I did. I’m excited about that. I even have my (gauze) in my bag. . . I’m going to juggle at home. He was delightful.” NANCYKUEHL SENIOREDITOR SUROCAl SERVICES MAMGEMEM JENNIFER QUlNN LOBB ASSOCIATEEDITOR AORN JOURML
Dr Alien teaches juggling to attendees to demonstrate that juggling life’s responsibilitiescan be easier when nurses infuse humor and silliness.
approach the challenges in our lives. “Yeah, buts don’t have to rule your decision making,” said Dr Allen. The benefits of humor include decreasing the stress reaction of the body, increasing trust in groups, and increasing creativity in problem solving-all things that Dr Allen noted the average hospital’s human resources department probably encourages. “I’m not asking you to change your life dramatically,” said Dr Allen, but he added, “That kind of laughter allows people to connect with you.” To prove that dignity doesn’t necessarily suffer from injecting humor into the situation, Dr Allen invited AORN Board members to the stage. Not only did the Board members demonstrate their cheerleading prowess by spelling out AORN, they also proved they learned Dr Allen’s lesson well with their own juggling demonstration. Audience members, who gave Dr Allen a standing ovation, were enthusiastic about his message and eager to take the lessons learned home with them. “I like silliness. YOUhave to have a sense of humor. It gave me tools to bring humor into the workplace,” said Paula Suffrins, RN, Rochester,
(Top) Alien’s firsf juggling mdenb, AORN md members, take the stage. (Bottom) Attendees fine lune the deilcate an of luggiing.
1168 AORN JOURNAL
General session speakers teach life lessons the fun way Tuesday, March 3 1, 1998; Wednesday, April 1, 1998 CNOR, Somers Point, NJ, added, “I think (Dr Hammerschlag) was very inspiring and certainly motivational. He was able to take the theme of AORN and incorporate it into a very moving speech.” LAURA CASTLE
ongress attendees were laughing, smiling, and even juggling at this year’s general sessions, where speakers provided valuable advice on dealing with life’s stress, coping with change, and soaring into the future.
C
SENIOR EDITOR AORN JOURML
SOARING INTO THE FUTURE: THE POWER OF CHOICE
C
arl Hammerschlag, MD, encouraged attendees HEALTH THROUGH CREATIVE at the Jerry G. Peers Lectureship, sponsored by SILLINESS: JUGGLING LIFE‘S STRESS the Exhibitors’ Advisory Committee, to “look again teve Allen, Jr, MD, has humor in his blood. at everything you do.” This is important because Son of well-known comedian Steve Allen, the “the way it was is not the way it is.” If you are physician has learned to bring humor into his daily unwilling to look at change, he said, you are like a routine. “Life is a juggling act,” Dr Allen noted in clock radio that is set to one station-you don’t lishis address, “Health through creative silliness: Jugten to any of the other stations that are available and gling life’s stress.” These days, nurses have so many you wake to the same music every morning. Dr balls in the air and so many spheres of responsibiliHammerschlag told attendees they should come to ty, said Dr Allen, that they perform a daily juggling every day with joy. act. To demonstrate his belief that juggling those “It doesn’t matter what you’ve got, it only matters responsibilities is easier if you can infuse them with how you come to what you’ve got.” He encouraged humor and silliness, he promptly taught the audieveryone to be connected with something or someence how to juggle. one. “This is why we have belly buttons,” he said, “it Laughing, giggling, and dancing to rock-and-roll reminds us that we were once connected to someone music, the audience else.” These are all things willingly participated in that we should look at, he the 12 steps to learning said, if we want to soar how to juggle pieces of into the future. gauze. “It’s a reminder Attendees enjoyed not to take myself too the speech and looked seriously even when I forward to implementdo serious work,” said ing their new knowlDr Allen of his juggling edge into their working efforts. environments. Pamela As gauze squares Stolee, RN, Ames, lofted by the aspiring Iowa, said, “We are jugglers floated about right now building a the hall, Dr Allen new OR central supply reminded the audience ICU and I think this that “Yeah, buts” get in would apply very well the way of anticipating to take back to my staff success. Statements and the hospital as far that start with “Yeah, as change being good.” Dr Hammerschlagtells the audience it does not matter what matters Is how they come to what they have. but” can affect how we Charlotte Zacker, RN, they hav-hat
S
1167 AORN JOURNAL
JUNE 1998, VOL 67, NO 6 GENERAL SESSIONS
Minn, about Dr Allen’s speech. “It was great, and I’m going to use it at work,” said Robert Whitfield, RN, CNOR, West Palm Beach, Fla. Patricia Koehmstedt, RN, CNOR, Denver, said, “I thought it was great. It was a lot of fun.” When asked if she learned to juggle, she laughed and said, “Not quite as good as he did, but it was fun trying.” Carolyn Phillips, RN, CNOR, Maryville, Tenn, said, “It was wonderful. He was great! I really enjoyed it.” Did she learn to juggle? “I did. I’m excited about that. I even have my (gauze) in my bag. . . I’m going to juggle at home. He was delightful.” NANCYKUEHL SENIOREDITOR SUROCAl SERVICES MAMGEMEM JENNIFER QUlNN LOBB ASSOCIATEEDITOR AORN JOURML
Dr Alien teaches juggling to attendees to demonstrate that juggling life’s responsibilitiescan be easier when nurses infuse humor and silliness.
approach the challenges in our lives. “Yeah, buts don’t have to rule your decision making,” said Dr Allen. The benefits of humor include decreasing the stress reaction of the body, increasing trust in groups, and increasing creativity in problem solving-all things that Dr Allen noted the average hospital’s human resources department probably encourages. “I’m not asking you to change your life dramatically,” said Dr Allen, but he added, “That kind of laughter allows people to connect with you.” To prove that dignity doesn’t necessarily suffer from injecting humor into the situation, Dr Allen invited AORN Board members to the stage. Not only did the Board members demonstrate their cheerleading prowess by spelling out AORN, they also proved they learned Dr Allen’s lesson well with their own juggling demonstration. Audience members, who gave Dr Allen a standing ovation, were enthusiastic about his message and eager to take the lessons learned home with them. “I like silliness. YOUhave to have a sense of humor. It gave me tools to bring humor into the workplace,” said Paula Suffrins, RN, Rochester,
(Top) Alien’s firsf juggling mdenb, AORN md members, take the stage. (Bottom) Attendees fine lune the deilcate an of luggiing.
1168 AORN JOURNAL