Robin Hertel, AMSN President, spoke of community in her ‘Robin’s Nest’ message in this newsletter. Community likely means something slightly different to all of us, but one thing community will have in common for all of us is that it invokes a sense of belonging. Whether geographical, spiritual, familial or professional, community is where we find expertise, wisdom and support from people that we identify with. As we saw with Senator Walsh’s uncalled for comments, the nursing community immediately came together and rallied as one. Regardless of your practice setting, years of experience, educational preparation …We. Are. One.

There is power in community. There is power that is so much greater than any one individual. Together we are more than the sum of our parts. There is a German term for this, it’s called ‘gestalt’. That’s why AMSN exists. Community. Gestalt. Being more than the sum of our parts. Connection is an integral part of AMSN…it’s in our tagline. Compassion. Commitment. Connection. We want you to connect with your peers and build a community. A community of medical-surgical nurses, proud and strong.

AMSN’s online community, the Hub, provides you with a means to connect and build community with your peers. It’s where you can find answers, expertly moderated by AMSN’s Clinical Practice Committee, so that every answer is grounded in evidence-based practice. It’s where you can find advice, input, best practices, and even share a laugh or two.

We encourage you to visit and engage with your community in the Hub. Over the next few months you’ll see exciting changes in the online community. We’ll be adding new communities, based on member needs. We’ll be improving the infrastructure to be more engaging. We hope these changes resonate with you because we want you to engage with your peers and colleagues. We want you to immerse yourself in your community. To belong. To contribute. To grow.

Gestalt. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts.