I Am TNA
by Charlene Stewart, BSN, RN
I am a Staff Nurse and I am TNA.
Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks! Nursing is my second career. I became a Registered Nurse in 2005. Entrance into the warm, people-oriented field of nursing after 20+ years in the cold, mechanical world of Computer-Aided-Design/Drafting has been quite an experience. I had an opportunity to make a career change after the closure of the Carrier production facility in Lewisburg. With the company’s support, as well as the support of my husband and son (a college student at the time), I began a new adventure. Can you imagine receiving college advice from your son? His advice, and the notes of encouragement tucked into my lunch bag by my hubby, sustained me through the grueling return to academia.
From mechanical designer, to college student, to staff nurse. I chose to work at Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma upon graduation. There are so many opportunities for nurses within a hospital setting. For me, I have enjoyed working as both a labor and delivery nurse and an emergency nurse. A staff nurse deserves the “most trusted profession” status they so often earn in polls. They implement nursing skills, use nursing knowledge, make critical decisions, promote health through bedside teaching, and treat from acute to chronic illnesses, minor ailments to major trauma, and pediatric to geriatric patients. It’s easy to see why the American Nurses Association (ANA) says, “… Staff Nurses are the backbone of the American health care system….”
Nursing professors often speak to the importance of being a member of a nurses professional organization. I listened and I joined the Tennessee Nurses Association upon graduation. I am but one nurse with one voice; TNA is the voice of all Tennessee nurses. TNA promotes and advocates for the profession of nurses.
It’s not easy for me as an individual to keep up with what is going on in the political arena, but I can count on TNA to keep me informed about pertinent legislation so that I can become an intricate part of the political process. Through TNA, I stay informed, and in turn, speak with or email my legislators to effectively advocate for my profession and my patients.
There are opportunities to be not only informed, but also to be active in TNA. Both District and state responsibilities abound. I am pleased to take an active role on state committees and have found that with today’s technology, it’s not even necessary to drive to Nashville (TNA’s headquarters) to do so.
Seize the upcoming opportunity to attend the 2008 TNA Annual Convention, October 24-26, 2008, at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs, Franklin, Tenn. Convention keeps one informed on topics and trends and, continuing nursing education will be offered! Additionally, there are great networking opportunities. Having attended several Tennessee Nurses Association Conventions, I have become acquainted with the “movers and shakers” in TNA. I feel a greater sense of security knowing that these intelligent and informed members of the nursing profession are serving nurses’ interests on policy-making governmental boards and commissions.
As a staff nurse and TNA member, I am reminded that health care encompasses much more than just me and my personal nursing career, more that me and my unit, more than me and my hospital. Yes, health care goes beyond our personal careers, it goes beyond our community and even our town. Let’s remember that TNA is Tennessee’s unified voice of nurses. I urge you to join TNA and find your voice.