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February 2025 President's Letter

Hello SPN Members,

I hope this month’s letter finds you well. It has been a challenging start to the year for my hometown of Los Angeles, which is beginning the recovery phase from a series of wildfires that devastated parts of our community. The immense social and health needs arising from this event, along with the arrival of a new administration in the White House, have me thinking quite a bit about the role that nurses play in advocacy – within their local communities, in their broader regions and states, and at the national level. Nurses are well-attuned to the needs of individuals, families, and populations within their communities, and they understand the impact that policy changes can have on access to the resources needed to ensure the health and well-being of patients and families, including safe housing and schools, a clean built environment that supports physical activity, nutritious food and clean drinking water, and regular visits with a trusted health care provider. When nurses use their professional voices to speak on behalf of our patients, families, and communities, we can be a powerful force for good, given the strength of our numbers and the trust that the public at large places in nursing.

I encourage each of you to identify ways to engage in advocacy as part of your professional role as a pediatric registered nurse. There are so many opportunities for advocacy – certainly, you advocate daily for individual patients and families, but what would it look like to extend that advocacy beyond the individual/family level and out into your community? Your local city council or county board of supervisors need to hear from you as they make health and healthcare-related decisions for your community. You can attend a council meeting to offer commentary or give a presentation that helps to advocate for needed services or supports in your community. Your hospital or healthcare organization likely has a community/government affairs office that could benefit from your engagement. The members of that office rely on hearing from practicing clinicians to understand and contextualize new legislation and to effectively advocate for the needs of the organization and its staff. SPN has an active Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee, comprised of SPN members with a passion for advocacy. This committee exists to help SPN members stay up to date with current issues and their impact on pediatric nursing and the care of the children, youth, and families we serve, and they’re always eager to hear from members who have a concern or otherwise want to connect. The American Nurses Association (ANA) also has a strong advocacy arm, and they have multiple opportunities year-round for engagement in their advocacy work, ranging from sending letters to your federal and state representatives to attendance at the annual ANA Hill Day, where you can go to Washington, DC, to meet with representatives and discuss issues of importance to the profession of nursing. There are so many ways to be engaged, and your voice as a registered nurse will be needed as we enter a period of political change and reshaping of government priorities. We must ensure that the needs of the diverse group of children, youth, and families we are honored to serve remain well-known and accounted for amidst this change, and it’s up to us to give voice to those needs and the ways in which they can best be met.


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January 2025 President's Letter

Happy New Year, SPN Members!

I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season, filled with memory-making and time with loved ones. As we head into 2025 and make resolutions for the year to come, I hope you’re thinking about both personal and professional goals – and all of the ways that SPN can help you achieve those professional goals! Our SPN volunteers and staff are hard at work throughout the year developing programs and products to support your career development and help you navigate your professional journey. Check out the list below – which of these goals will you make for yourself?   

Professional Goal
Ways that SPN Can Help

Get certified

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December 2024 President's Letter

Hello SPN Members!

A Look Back at 2024

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November 2024 President's Letter

Hello SPN Members,

Mentorship – A Key Component of Your Professional Growth

As we enter this season of reflection and gratitude ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve found myself thinking quite a bit about mentorship and the incredible impact that mentors can have on our career journeys. Mentorship sometimes seems like a nicety – something a little extra that’s good to have but that isn’t necessarily a requirement. Increasingly, though, I’ve come to think of mentorship as a must-have, regardless of your career phase or where you think your career is headed. Mentors help us to evaluate where we are and imagine what can be, and they can push us to think outside of the box and to tackle challenges or pursue opportunities that we might not have known about or had the confidence to go after. Mentorship also changes over the course of a career, as we grow, learn, and further define ourselves. When I was a new graduate nurse, for example, I was eager for clinical mentorship – I wanted to connect with those who were more experienced clinically and who could advise me on how to develop my clinical skills and to care for more complex patients and their families. As I gained clinical experience and began to think about the next steps in my career, my mentorship needs shifted – I sought out those who had knowledge and experience with advanced nursing roles as I contemplated what path I wanted to pursue. Once I entered a PhD program, I worked to develop my research mentorship circle so that I could work with and learn from those with research expertise and a track record of extramural funding – and I remain connected with and supported by several of those mentors today.

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October 2024 President's Letter

Hello, SPN Members!

Election 2024 – Nurses Vote!

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August 2024 President's Letter

Hello SPN Members!

Pediatric Nursing Excellence Award

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July 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

I hope everyone’s summer is off to a great start, and that you have plenty of time over the next few months to enjoy all that summer brings: long, warm evenings; ice cream cones and fresh fruits & veggies; and time on the beach, at the lake, or in a pool to escape from the heat!

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June 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Nursing

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May 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

Nurses Make the Difference

Happy Nurses Month to all our fantastic Society of Pediatric Nurses members! This year’s theme is “Nurses Make the Difference,” and I can think of so many examples of how nurses I know have made a difference in the lives of patients, families, and colleagues. We are lucky to work in a profession that allows us to have such a profound impact on the lives of others, sometimes in ways we don’t even recognize! I hope each of you has an opportunity to celebrate our profession and your contributions to it with friends and colleagues throughout the month.

Annual Conference

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April 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

BLAZING THE TRAIL TO PEDIATRIC NURSING EXCELLENCE

There are just two more weeks until our 34th Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona! Our Program Planning Committee has planned three pre-conference workshops, phenomenal keynote speakers, plenary and concurrent sessions, poster presentations, and networking activities with SPN members and exhibitors. Attendees can also participate in a tour of Phoenix Children’s Hospital. I hope to see you there!

CONTRIBUTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE

SPN’s committees and task forces are comprised of dedicated members who contribute and volunteer their time to advance our profession and the work of SPN. This month, SPN will reach out to our membership to request those who are interested in serving SPN on committees, task forces, and educational sessions to respond to the survey and state your interest in volunteering. Let us know your areas of interest and expertise. Often opportunities arise during the year for SPN to participate in work with other organizations on topics relevant to the care of children. It is extremely helpful to know your areas of expertise and willingness to serve. This is an opportunity for you to grow your network and share your expertise. SPN’s committee goals provide insight about the work our committees are doing to help SPN achieve our strategic plan goals. You can find more information on the monthly member newsletter under Membership or on the SPN website.

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March 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

ACTIVELY ENGAGING TO BUILD YOUR PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

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February 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

PRIORITIZE YOUR BIG ROCKS!!

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January 2024 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

As I review the accomplishments of SPN over the past year, I am in awe of the knowledge and expertise our members bring to their service on the Board of Directors, committees, task forces, as well as our educational programs. I can already sense that 2024 will be another successful year working towards our mission of providing you with excellent resources and education in pediatric nursing!

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December 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

ENGAGING WITH FUTURE PEDIATRIC NURSES

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November 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

PEDIATRIC NURSES WEEK

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October 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

HAPPY PEDIATRIC NURSES WEEK!

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June 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

The SPN Pediatric Excellence Model prioritizes advocacy, defined as acting or speaking on behalf of and in support of children and families, as one of the core concepts in the Values domain. While nurses instinctively advocate for patients and families in their workplace, many may not be as engaged in advocacy efforts in their community or with state and federal legislation to advance issues impacting children, families, and the nursing profession.

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July 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

This past month, I had the privilege of representing SPN with Jenni Baird, SPN President-Elect, at the Emotional Safety Summit II hosted by our Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP) colleagues. I am so grateful for the work ACLP has spearheaded and for the invitation for a seat at the table for this important discussion.

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May 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

My warmest wishes for a Happy Nurse’s Month! I am so proud to work in a profession where we have amazing leaders, care providers, educators, and innovators. It is an honor to lead this organization and see your commitment and dedication to our profession and the patients and families we serve. Thank you for making a difference!!

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April 2023 President's Letter

Greetings SPN Members!

RECOVER THE REBUILD RESOURCE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF NURSES

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