Hello everyone and happy Spring,

First and foremost, I hope that you are all doing well. I know severe weather has impacted several areas around the country, and I know others are dealing with the aftermath of mass shootings. It has been rough, and I just pray that you and your loved ones are safe. Please do share your feelings with each other, support one another, and seek professional help, if needed. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Please always remember that.

The feeling of Spring is in the air! Looking out the window, you start to see new life in the world all around us. For me, the trees and flowers are starting to bloom-which means warmer days are on the way. As the world is transitioning around me, I start to consider the impact of transitions we experience as nurses.

As you might remember from previous communications, AMSN has been working on a comprehensive DEI program to help build competency related to DEI principles. The program consists of six modules, an introductory module that provides background, definitions and covers topics such as bias and microaggressions, and then five different modules focusing on five traditionally marginalized groups. In these modules, we discuss how to care for patients from these groups and how to work with colleagues from these groups and build healthy practice environments.

Happy New Year, Everyone! I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to new opportunities and experiences that 2023 will have to offer us.

It is definitely winter in the Midwest, and we have gotten quite a bit of snow in January, and there’s no sign of it letting up. The nights are long, and the constant bundling up of my kids and myself has gotten old- fast.

AMSN is excited for 2023 as we have many great updated products and programs to bring you this year. It’s important to keep our programs and services up-to-date and relevant so that they are resources for you in your practice. Below you’ll find a summary of the updates you can expect AMSN to release this year. So, stay tuned and keep an eye on your AMSN Connections newsletter and email.

To the AMSN members, my name is Marisa Streelman, and I am excited to begin my presidency for AMSN in 2023.

When I started attending meetings and volunteering for AMSN I did not see myself in this position. However, my engagement in nursing has continued to grow with the work I have done with AMSN, and this has led me to continue to be a leader for medical-surgical nurses.

I remember when we used to be excited for a new year because it always indicated a fresh start, a new opportunity, and a time to consider what we might like to change or accomplish with our personal and/or professional lives. I have seen a lot of memes on social media telling us to sneak into 2023 quietly so we do not draw attention to ourselves given the past three years we’ve experienced.

I cannot believe it is already time for 2022 to come to a close. It has been a whirlwind of activities for me in my first year as your president and I know there will be more growth and opportunities for all of us in 2023.

I was recently asked for my thoughts on some of the big issues currently happening in health care settings. Perhaps one of the most frequently asked questions is “what can we do about staffing?”. I honestly wish I had a good answer for this, and yet I do not.

Did you know that the current nursing vacancy rate is approximately 17%? That figure is up over 7% from last year, with over 80% of hospitals having a RN vacancy rate of over 10%, while it is taking approximately 3 months to find a nurse to fill a vacancy.

Further, the nursing turnover rate is 27.1%, and hospitals, on average, lost almost 3% of their RN workforce. Overall, turnover in the med-surg setting is the fifth highest, tied with critical care, and is up over 10% since 2021.