Robin’s column this month speaks about the many ways AMSN is representing you, our members, in initiatives of importance to the nursing profession. AMSN believes that it is critical that you have a voice in these initiatives and that med-surg nurses are heard.

AMSN was excited to be invited to participate in the Professional Identity Formation in Nursing think-tank. We were one of the only specialty nursing practice associations to be invited. We were privileged to attend with the American Nurses Association, National League for Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, National Student Nurses Association and the National Council for State Boards of Nursing. As you can see, many of the associations present are directly involved in nursing education, so AMSN was proud to represent medical-surgical nursing at the think-tank. We are excited to continue to represent all of you in this important work.

We also joined and participated in the Nurses on Boards Coalition, which aims to increase the percentage of nurses serving on professional boards of directors. We look forward to representing medical-surgical nurses in this important endeavor and demonstrating the value you can bring to organizations, professional associations and charities alike.

Lastly, as Robin noted, AMSN will be participating in the Nightingale Challenge, a program developed by Nursing Now, a collaborative three-year campaign shared by the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organization. The Nightingale Challenge seeks to develop the leadership of nurses under the age of 35. We will be developing a program that will provide leadership opportunities to 20 AMSN members during 2020, which has been declared the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Stay tuned for more information and to sign up. We can’t wait to launch this program.

I hope these initiatives demonstrate our commitment to you, our members, and our commitment to the specialty of medical-surgical nursing. You are the reason we exist, and we are working very hard to serve you in ways that are meaningful and impactful. We want to demonstrate to the world the vital role each and every one of you play in the health care arena. We want to ensure your voice is heard, and you are involved in decisions impacting the health care system. We are committed to making a difference for you.