I don’t think I would have ever predicted adding writer to my list of descriptors when I began my nursing career more than thirty-eight years ago. The Relentless School Nurse grew out of a desire to describe the scope of school nursing practice. Blogging has opened many interesting doors and enticing opportunities to collaborate on exciting projects that I could never have imagined. Contributing to the newly released book, Taking Action: 10 Top Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing, has been an honor and professional highlight for me. My deepest appreciation goes to Dr. Susan Hassmiller for being a champion of school nursing and extending her generous hand to me in so many ways.
Taking Action: 10 Top Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well Being in Nursing is a collection of essays, perspective pieces and poetry that describes the depth of our nursing profession in this artful and personal compendium. The breadth of topics included in the 10 chapters of this book is stunning. Nursing has reached its own tipping point after a crippling pandemic, reckoning with racism within our ranks, and a history of silence, we have come roaring back to address our most pressing issues in order to find a way forward that is equitable and just. “Taking Action” is a call to move forward with clarity and transparency, no longer silent or complacent about what matters most. The top 10 priorities examined in the book have multiple essays in each chapter. These are the topics examined:
- Health Equity
- Education Reform
- Diversity and Mentorship
- Care Delivery: Quality, Safety, Access
- Multi-Sector Collaboration
- Preparing for Disasters and Public Health Emergencies
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Nurse Well-Being: Compassion for Self and Others
- Global Stewardship
- Nursing’s Voice in Leading Change
- Bonus Afterword: History as a Guide to Envision a More Equitable and Just Future
Through the generosity of Sigma, you can preview Chapter 3 – Diversity and Mentorship: Chapter3 Taking Action
My essay “Pandemic School Nursing—Another Front Line” is in Chapter 10: Nursing’s Voice in Leading Change. Here is a link to order the book: Taking Action: Top 10 Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing Taking Action: Top 10 Priorities to Promote Health Equity and Well-Being in Nursing spotlights 10 critical themes through data, essays, discussion points, and action items, equipping readers to move beyond conversation to action.
Remember years ago I commented to you that school nursing was like an octopus with so many responsibilities to reach out and touch…Now I think it is bigger than those 8 tenacles. You have attained all of them.