Out of the gate

For some time, I had been planning for retirement. I was eagerly anticipating the magic 66 plus 2; the age at which I would be able to draw a full Social Security pension. While waiting for time to pass, I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be when I officially joined the ranks of the “retired.” I suspected the transition wasn’t going to be easy. After all, I’ve been a nurse for over 33 years—I generally liked what I did and enjoyed working with my students and our patients.

After much thought, I decided that once I reached that magic age I would keep only my part-time online teaching position. That would allow me to work from home and be able to help my wife, who deals with a chronic disease. I would also seek out a nurse-oriented volunteer position to continue practicing my “nursing” skills. On 17 December 2021, I began this new chapter in my life with three professional goals in mind: 

While “following” the posts in the nurse educators’ community, a message from 9 January 2022 caught my attention. A member asked, “What are you doing in education to Be Bold in 2022?” 

Her post suggested that I should do something bold this year, but what is she talking about?

I searched Sigma’s website for this theme, and I found the organizational call to action for the 2021-2023 biennium. But then I thought, “How do my goals fit into President Ken Dion and the Board of Director’s vision and charge?”

The connection
After a careful analysis of my professional goals, I feel that my goals could generally be placed under the heading “Conservation” (of human resources).

In Ken’s charge (as the leader of our organization), the closing section titled, “What does it mean to be bold?” really caught my eye. It reads, “Being bold does not mean being brash. It does not have to be inflammatory. Being bold does not have to be confrontational. It does not require you to be the loudest voice in the room. It does require you to step outside your silo and engage with others for the sake of our populations, our profession, and our planet.”

In addition to our populations, profession, and planet, I can strive to step outside of my silos for the sake of my students, colleagues, volunteers, and the public. I love being a generalist nurse and really don’t want to live or work in a silo. That’s one of the reasons I don’t want to return to school for a doctorate. In my retired life, I will strive to share my nursing knowledge and compassion with everyone around me. 

Ken then asked, “What does it take to be bold? It takes being informed with facts. It takes knowledge. It takes leadership. It takes fluency in economics, technology, and conservation. It takes love, courage, and honor.”

In my retired life, I will make a point of regularly reading my nursing journals. I will strive to watch the news on television (always practicing critical thinking). I will seek leadership positions that give me an opportunity to grow and to demonstrate to others that nurses bring valuable skill sets with them.

I remember trying to get my pre-licensure students to answer the question, “Which of the two is the most important element?” For much of the time, students and sometimes faculty focus only on passing NCLEX. While passing NCLEX is important for a variety of reasons, my position is that the journey is more important.

It’s during the journey that we get exposed to others’ worldviews. It’s during the journey that we are coached to become the best nurses possible. It’s during the journey that we develop into competent and compassionate healthcare providers.

Thanks, Sigma, for providing a standard for which to strive and validating our efforts to be the best nurses we can be.

Keith E. Paulus, MSN, RN, CNE, is an Assistant Professor and Instructional Mentor at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA, and a member of Sigma’s Psi Delta Chapter.