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EDITORIAL

558 j AORN Journal � Dece

Reflection, Renewal, andRebirthJOY DON BAKERPhD, RN-BC, CNE, CNOR, NEA-BC, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

eflection, renewal, and rebirth represent the

nursing work life or finding fault and weaknesses

cyclical elements of personal and profes-

sional development and transition. Finding

the time to think, process, and explore options for

our lives as perioperative nurses often may occur

during the holidays. Perhaps there is no better time

to explore the options for our future than when we

are with those whom we care for most, our family

and friends. Identifying our greatest personal and

professional strengths may provide a foundation for

the next stages of life.

REFLECTION

According to Rath,1 it is far more important to

focus on one’s strengths or to accentuate the posi-

tives than to focus on correcting weaknesses. It is

too easy to find fault. I suspect that we can easily

look in the mirror and find the physical blemishes

that we might wish to change. Sometimes we act on

those wishes and make successful changes. Perhaps

the better option is to focus on the strengths of

character or the solid base structure, such as the

glimpses of the youthful smile our eyes still show

in the mirror instead of the additional facial lines or

receding hairline. Perioperative nurses also should

consider professional strengths when we view our-

selves in a reflective “career mirror.”We can choose

the option of thinking, celebrating, and building

on the constructive successes of the perioperative

mber 2013 Vol 98 No 6

with our own career and others. As in our personal

lives, we have the option of focusing on the strengths

or on the weaknesses.

Florence Nightingale chose to focus on and

had significant strengths. Nightingale is often re-

flected on as being a woman of great character

who organized, orchestrated, and optimized the

resources available and people who could assist her

in providing whatever they possibly could to help

care for the wounded and sick. As a statistician and

researcher, she kept meticulous documentation to

support her opinions and diligently sought the help

of those who could make or provide the needed

resources.2 She built on the strengths of those

around her and sought to find ways to reach ami-

able agreements with those who could place bar-

riers in front of her. As perioperative nurses, we too

must reflect and build on our strengths both pro-

fessionally and personally.

Reflection, or identifying and shoring up ones

strengths while minimizing the weaknesses, is

the first phase of transitions in life. Bridges3 sug-

gests, “every transition is an ending that prepares

the ground for the new growth and new activi-

ties.”3(p45) Hudson’s work also relates to transi-

tions, including his “cycle of change” model.4(p72)

The sixth of his 10 personal skills describes

“Ending: Farewell,”4(p72) or reflections, as follows:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2013.09.005

� AORN, Inc, 2013

EDITORIAL www.aornjournal.org

There is no way to progress deeply into the fu-

ture without taking leave of the pastdmaking a

leap of faith into an unknown future. The pain of

loss becomes motivation to look ahead instead of

backward. Letting go is usually experienced as

a loss, but it also is liberation, a graduation, a

commencement.4(p95)

This type of reflection occurs with each change that

we experience, such as when we encounter a new

idea. One example of this is AORN transitioning

the name of the annual conference from the AORN

Congress to the AORN Surgical Conference &

Expo. This is a change “into the future without

taking leave of the past”4(p59) and celebrating the

past as we move into a new bright future.

RENEWAL

The renewal phase is another transitional phase

in life. Bridges3 identifies this phase of life as the

“Neutral Zone,” during which one is neither in the

“Ending” phase nor has quite arrived at the “New

Beginning” phase of life transitions. Holiday time

is often a time of renewal; in particular, the ritual

of sending Christmas cards or other holiday ex-

The renewal moment of our lives and careerscan seem down and dark; however, everyperioperative nurse has the power within tocenter on personal and professional strengthsto build a forward-looking future.

changes provides

opportunity for re-

newal and reacquain-

tance with family

members and friends.

In some ways, re-

newal is like taking a

short break from our

routine to replenish

our support reserves. Hudson’s seventh step,

“Restructuring,” is also part of renewal:

Restructuring is like minor surgery, with a

strategic plan to make the life structure work

betterda new location, a new job, a new home,

or a new partner. The same basic values and

goals prevail, but the action steps, setting,

and/or players in the drama are altered.4(p73)

Hudson4 also suggests, in his eighth step, “Co-

cooning,” as a part of this transitional process is

a deeper review of the basic values on which one’s

life is based. Cocooning often involves personal

development, including new life options, such as

a career change as opposed to just a job or set-

ting change.4 Occasionally, “Cocooning”4 or the

“Neutral Zone”3 can seem dark, dismal, and filled

with loss or death. For example, in changing from a

perioperative staff RN role to the director position

in another location, the time during the actual re-

location is when one has left the previous role but

is not quite into the new job role. The experience

of both loss of the previous role and hope of the

new role come into play at the same time, creating

a “Neutral Zone.”3 However, moving out of the

“Cocooning” or “Neutral Zone”3 can lead to sig-

nificant “Self-Renewal”4 opportunity, with the

promise of hope for a brighter future in which one’s

strengths become the focus once again from which

to build the “New Beginning”3 and the new peri-

operative job role.

As perioperative nurses, we may experience the

“Neutral Zone”3 or “Cocooning”4 when feeling

burned out or when needing to make a career

adjustment before we have determined the next

step on the career

path. Perhaps that is

a time to consider

returning to school to

advance a degree to

help identify potential

change options avail-

able. The renewal

moment of our lives

and careers can seem down and dark; however,

every perioperative nurse has the power within to

center on personal and professional strengths to

build a forward-looking future.

REBIRTH

Occasionally the rebirth or the “New Beginning”3

appears to be a collection of serendipitous hap-

penings, for example, a culminating point of new

knowledge gained from returning to school or a

new perioperative role or career. Hudson suggests

AORN Journal j 559

December 2013 Vol 98 No 6 EDITORIAL

that “Experimenting” is a skill in “the cycle that

engages you in creativity, learning, risk-taking, and

networking.”4(p74) Rebirth is a time during which

we feel alive with excitement and full of energy for

engaging in a new life adventure. As perioperative

nurses, we must reinvent ourselves to stay chal-

lenged, focusing on improvements for our patients

and our practice.

CONCLUSION

As an example of a more personal new beginning,

I saw a young couple recently take their marriage

vows, seeing in that moment of their wedding only

each other. Their lives intertwined, and they had

hope for a future of endless possibilities. As I

looked across the audience of friends and family,

I saw the parents and grandparents representing

more than 60 years of marriage and knew that each

had reinvented themselves repeatedly with each

passing moment in their lives. Together they em-

body the reflection of the past, the renewal of the

commitment to support each other’s strengths, and

the rebirth of facing each tomorrow with new and

refreshed hope, understanding that they will face

all of what life brings with the combined richness

of mutual strength.

The process of reflection, renewal, and rebirth is

no different with AORN members, as we reflect on

60 years of accomplishments of the organization,

renew our commitment to perioperative nursing,

560 j AORN Journal

and celebrate hope and experience the rebirth

embodied in the mutual gathering in Chicago,

Illinois, at the AORN Surgical Conference &

Expo 2014. May you find and renew your own

personal strengths on which to build for a bright

new year. Take a moment to reflect on your per-

sonal strengths, celebrating the challenges over-

come, and the bright future of tomorrow. The

AORN editorial team wishes you a wonderful

holiday season, and may you have a multitude

of engaging opportunities to spend time with family

and friends.

References1. Rath T. StrengthsFinder 2.0. New York, NY: Gallup

Press; 2007.

2. Dossey BM. Florence Nightingale: Mystic, Visionary,

Healer. Spring House, PA: Springhouse Corporation; 2000.

3. Bridges W. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.

New York, NY: Perseus Books Publishing; 1980.

4. Hudson FM. The Adult Years: Mastering the Art of Self-

Renewal. Rev ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 1999.

Joy Don Baker, PhD, RN-BC, CNE, CNOR,

NEA-BC, is the editor-in-chief of the AORN

Journal and a clinical associate professor at The

University of Texas Arlington, College of

Nursing. Dr Baker has no declared affiliation

that could be perceived as posing a potential

conflict of interest in the publication of this

article.