JUNE 1996, VOL 63, NO 6 G E N E R A L S E S S I O N S

General Sessions speakers offer encouragement, motivation, advice

to Congress attendees Tuesday, March 5 ; Friday, March 8

eneral Sessions speakers moved their audiences with stories that echoed the Con- gress theme of “Courage, Choices, and

Commitment.”

JERRY 0. PEERS MEMORIAL LECTURESHIP

ivien Mary DeBack, RN, PhD, FAAN, and V Grazyna Wojcik, RGN Nurse, MA, encour- aged nurses and exhibitors attending the Jerry G. Peers Lectureship, Tuesday, March 5, 1996, to develop a mind-set that each of us is a world citizen and to become willing to take actions to demonstrate our commitment to world citizenry.

In her address, ”Opportunities & Challenges: Becoming World Citizens,” Dr DeBack recognized that many US nurses already respond to the needs of patients around the world; however, she urged nurses to recognize a need for expanding U s nurses’ and organizations’ involvement in international health care. ”My goal today is not necessarily to entice you to get on a plane tomorrow and become an interna- tional nurse,” said Dr DeBack. ”What I want to con- vince you to do is to become world citizens, which you can do without leaving your hometown. World citizenry is a state of mind, an attitude, as well as action.”

expanding US nurses’ involvement in international health care.

Dr DeBack ofiered the following strategies for

Develop a knowledge base of AORN’s involve- ment in international health care. Support AORN’s international work by develop- ing your leadership participation in AORN activi- ties abroad. Develop futuristic career goals that include inter- national nursing. Mentor foreign nurses by finding nurses and stu- dent nurses from other countries and inviting them to organizational meetings. Dr DeBack indicated that US nurses leave their

borders for many reasons: crisis intervention (eg, earthquakes, bombings, famine), contractual nursing obligations, education missions to share nursing

Dr Vivien Mary DeBack discusses the challenges and rewards of international nursing.

expertise, and long-term efforts to foreign countries. “The purpose of long-term commitments to coun- tries or areas is to assist others (in reaching) their goals in the delivery of health care by mutual agree- ment,’’ stated Dr DeBack. She said,

Nurses or organizations accomplish their goals through consulting over time, returning frequently to countries, appointing long-term stuff support, and evaluating their efforts to determine if they have met their goals.

Some of the challenges of international nursing include

learning the culture and customs of host countries by constantly asking questions, accurately translating your ideas and concepts to your foreign audience, valuing differences by conveying respect for host countries’ beliefs and customs, and building trust by demonstrating flexibility and allowing yourself to be human. “The road to world citizenry starts with an attitude,

education of one’s self, and an interest in the world’s people and their health,” said Dr DeBack. “Consider becoming one of the ‘links’ in the chain and join the

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Grazyna Wojclk llstens 10 Dr

DeBclcKs speech. Wojclk later

spoke to the audl- ence about nun- Ing endeavors In

Poland.

international world of nursing. There are all kinds of opportunities and challenges waiting for you.”

Wojcik told Tuesday’s audience that there were 220,000 nurses and midwives in her native country of Poland and that of this total, 12,OOO were OR nurses. She also said there was relatively good availability and quality of medical services in Poland but that health care professionals had low economic and social statuses. Wojcik said nursing and midwifery degrees in Poland required 2.5 years of training, and health care expenditures per capita totalled $150 per year.

A professional assistance partnership between AORN and Polish nurses was enacted by AORN leaders in 1994. The aim of the alliance was to estab- lish an international network of perioperative nurses that could help Polish nurses overcome many of their problems through mutual cooperation. “I never expected to have such luck to have AORN as our partners,” said Wojcik. “We found good friends and valuable support from AORN.”

By spring of 1995, Polish OR nurses had estab- lished their own OR nurse association and had designed and implemented a nursing documentation system. “Our future goal is to develop our own pro- fessional standards,” stated Wojcik. “Life is not easy, so let us support and encourage each other.”

JANET S. WEST RN, BSN, CNOR

CLlNlCAl EDITOR

KEEPING YOUR PARACHUTE PACKED

cell in Vietnam was eight feet long and eight feet wide,” he said. “I could take three steps in one direc- tion before I ran into a wall, and then I had the opportunity to turn around and take three steps the other way.”

5, 1996, in the General Session “Making Tough Choices in Challenging Times.” The session was sponsored by the Exhibitors’ Advisory Committee as part of NursesExhibitors Day.

At the age of 24, Plumb was captured and impris- oned by the Vietnamese when his F-4 Phantom plane was shot down. He spent 2,103 days, nearly six years, in a Vietnamese prison. He told the audi- ence that the challenges he faced in his prison cell are the same kind of challenges we face every day. “Ever feel like you’re the one who’s protecting and watching out for patients, and who’s looking out for you?” Plumb said. “You are the backbone of the health care system. The people who work hardest and latest and who give the most for the least.” He said he believed that the audience members had come to Congress to repledge themselves personally and professionally.

Plumb discussed a term he uses quite often- parachute packers. He coined the term long after he was released from prison and happened to meet the man who had packed his parachute the day he was captured. The man recognized Plumb and remem- bered the failed mission. “I guess (the parachute) worked,” the man said when he saw Plumb was alive. Plumb asked the man if he knew all the lives he had saved. “No,” the man replied, “it’s enough gratification for me just to know that I’ve served.”

Plumb spoke to a packed house Tuesday, March

eneral session keynote speaker J. Charles G Plumb entered and paced the dimly lighted stage-back and forth, back and forth. “My prison J. Charles Plumb relates how Imprisonment changed hls life.

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Plumb realized that he hadn’t really cared about this man whose job it was to pack parachutes until the day Plumb got his parachute. Plumb considers all people who provide service without expectations and who do not expect accolades to be parachute packers. “These are good people to have at your elbow when times get tough,” he said.

Plumb related the story of one of his emotional parachute packers, After a defeat in a basketball game in high school, Plumb told his coach, “Sorry. I guess this team’s just a bunch of losers.” The coach put his arm across Plumb’s shoulder and told him, “Whether you think you’re a loser or you think you’re a winner, you’re right.” He told Plumb that life is a choice; you can choose to be happy, you can choose to be sad, or you can choose to give away all your other choices by playing the victim. Plumb said it wasn’t until later in his life that he realized that the coach was trying to say that success is not determined by what is around you but by the choices you make.

camp, and it has kept him from becoming bitter about the challenges life brings. He apologized that he might not have talked directly to the audience often enough, but “This is my therapy. I need these words more than you do.” He encouraged audience members to know that they, too, have choices and that if they blame someone else for their problems they are giving up their right to live. Above all, he said, “Keep your parachute packed.”

This philosophy helped Plumb survive the prison

LAURA A. CASTLE h W T E EDITOR

BALANCE IS THE ULTIMATE BAROMETER OF SUCCESS

ichael Broome encouraged nurses attending M the General Session on Friday, March 8, 1996, to stay motivated in spite of hectic lifestyles. In his address, “Being a People Power Person: A Humorous Look at Personal & Professional Suc- cess,” the techniques he offered for maintaining a positive mental attitude include

developing an attitude of gratitude, managing stress by laughing at yourself, exercising mental discipline, defeating fears and worry, controlling your environment, and maintaining enthusiasm.

Michael Broome presents a humorous look al personal and pro- fessional success.

“There are certain things about ourselves we can- not control, but we can control our thoughts,” Broome told the audience. “The quality of human life is determined by our attitudes towards life’s events.” For example, “If you lost your job recently, look at the bright side-someone else found it.” Broome said we are here only for a short time; how- ever, “the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we will be happy in the future, not now.”

Have you engulfed your life in fear? “Our fears place us in a depressed state,” Broome told the audi- ence. “When you talk about depression, you are real- ly talking about fear,” he said. “Fear is equal to 0.25V of electricity, yet we allow this small charge to rule our lives. Apply logic to your fears, and you will find ‘fear = false evidence appearing real.”’ Broome suggested that we write out a list of solu- tions when fears occur to apply logic to our fears and to discard their power over us.

Broome also described the principles of achieve- ment and the key to focusing our talents for the ben- efit of ourselves and others. “The way to win is to give,” he stated. “The people who get the most out of life are the givers.”

“Give encouragement to those around you on a daily basis,” Broome urged the audience. He said that Teddy Roosevelt stated it best, “Life is a joy for those who have the heart to demand it.”

JANET S. WEST RN, BSN, CNOR

CUNICAL EDITOR

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