I vividly remember my nursing orientation at the Mayo Clinic on a telemetry unit. My preceptor, Jane, had to count for me during resuscitation efforts, as I would seemingly forget what number followed “one” when performing chest compressions. I would forget I needed to also do “two” through “fifteen”—the ratio was 15:2 at that time. She guided me and prepared me for future code events.

I recall my primary Novant Health preceptor, Janice, placing me in the thick of things to code and place a temporary pacemaker in a patient when we had an emergency event occur in the CICU setting. In an assertive and loving way, she cleared the room and explained what we needed to do. I realized at that moment that I needed to always be prepared for anything, which profoundly triggered my growth and development. She also explained cardiac rhythms in depth and what it truly means for the patient to be in the rhythm they are experiencing. This is why I now enjoy teaching rhythms from a more comprehensive perspective.

I also recall my secondary preceptor, named Becky, teaching me to not just give medications but to understand why we give them. Thanks to these three strong preceptors at the beginning of my nursing journey, I learned about what it means to grow and develop as a nurse.

In celebration of Nurses Month, I asked fellow members of the ANPD Board of Directors to share their “mantras,” or motivators related to the nursing profession. Reflecting on this ask myself, my thoughts lingered on those three preceptors who supported me as a young nurse. Because of all they gave to me, I am inspired to give back, guiding new nurses in the same way. As such, I realized one of my mantras is “give back to the profession.” I taught nursing students for about 20 years, and I would emphasize this mantra to them, and I also stress this to new nurses at my organization.

What do I mean by “give back?” Do volunteer work and help others who may not have the privileges you have been provided. Each year since 2003, I’ve provided more than 80 hours of volunteer work for the community. Nursing elevated me, and doing volunteer service—giving back—is a big reward. That leads me to another of my commonly repeated mantras: nursing is about helping others—about giving back to our patients, the community, and new nurses. Give back and help provide opportunities for others that encourage growth and professional development.

I hope these and the other mantras shared below will add to your perspective of what it means to be a nurse this month and every day of your career.

Jenny Harshman, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPN

The mantra I fall back on as an NPD professional is “tell me more.” I think a questioning attitude is essential to create education and development opportunities that ensure safe, quality patient care. So often people assume “we need education,” and I have found it’s important to start by asking questions. Some of my favorite prompts are:

• Tell me more about what behaviors/actions/outcomes you are seeing.
• Tell me more about how you think the learning team can help change these outcomes.
• What is your goal for behaviors/actions/outcomes to see after education is provided?
• What other efforts are in place that education can partner with to have a greater impact on behavior/actions/outcomes?

When NPD practitioners are brought to the table, they often ask questions people haven’t thought of yet. We are the learning experts, and we should be ready to flex those muscles through questions and influencing better approaches beyond “just educate again.”

Shara Rhodes, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, MEDSURG-BC, NPDA-BC®

“There were two things that kept me from throwing in the towel during the beginning stages of my career: faith and passion. I knew I had come too far to give up and I believe that the best was yet to come.” – Jolie Oree-Bailey

This quote has been a guide for me over the last two decades of my life as a healthcare worker, and especially while navigating nursing professional development. It is a very fitting reflection on the time and sacrifices I have put into advancing my education, expanding my nursing knowledge, and achieving certifications to underscore my knowledge base. While I am certain my journey has not been unique, it has brought some interesting and memorable experiences. My faith in nurses and nursing has helped me remember my passion for mentoring and developing others.

Early in nursing, I discovered a joy for competency management with validation of knowledge, skills, and practice with diverse use of multimodal strategies for engagement. I have met some incredible people at varying stages across the competency spectrum! As I explored the different components of NPD practice, I also enjoyed the opportunity to shape the future by ensuring excellent onboarding and orientation practices are being used. Quality improvement studies have given me the ability to research and implement evidence-based best practices in NPD to ensure a healthy workplace for teams I lead. As I have matured in my practice, I have been able to impact the journey of others by supporting their role transitions and working collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical partners to nurses. Through it all, it’s been amazing to relive it each year while celebrating Nurses Month with my friends and colleagues.

Rachel Senefeld Kromer, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC

The NPD practitioners on my team tease me that they have “Rachel quote notes” all over their desks and that they’ll make a book of them one day. Let me give you some of my favorite mantras:

• “Don’t drive the video to their house!” You may recognize this from former ANPD President Donna Wright, MS, RN, NPD-BC. She tells a cautionary tale of going so far above and beyond to help learners complete competencies one year that the same level of concierge service became the expectation the following year. I use this one frequently with my team to set boundaries when they’re tempted to offer a level of help that isn’t sustainable and undercuts the learner’s responsibility.
• One of the most impactful mantras I've adopted is “Sometimes ‘no’ doesn’t feel collaborative.” This was a lesson from my mentor that resonated deeply with me. I had been naively saying “no” left and right to requests, not realizing its impact on my relationships at work. This mantra now guides me to stay curious, ask more questions, and share my reasoning process with others. “No” may still be the correct answer, but I strive to show people how I arrived at that conclusion.
• “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” I have this quote from Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, pinned at my desk. It’s a reminder to insert yourself in discussions where you can be valuable and, more importantly, to look for those who aren’t represented and make room for them.

Elizabeth A. Fritz, PhD, RN, NPDA-BC, EBP-C

As an avid computer gamer, I often envision my work in terms of completing quests, earning skill points, and “leveling up.” This helps me find meaning in even the most mundane tasks. For example, when reflecting on the past week, I can either feel exhausted thinking about the many tedious hours I spent learning to build web pages on our intranet or I can feel excited about completing my website-building quest and leveling up my technology skills. It’s all about the framing!

What about you? How do you reframe things to connect your daily work with ideas that bring you joy?

Stephanie Zidek, PhD, RN, ACGNS-BC, NEA-BC, NPD-BC

I've gathered a few guiding mantras that have shaped my 15-year nursing career and approach as a nursing professional development practitioner. Here they are:

• Don't lose sight of the why: Remembering why I entered nursing—to provide compassionate care—keeps me grounded. In my current role, I aim to empower nurses to deliver the best care possible and stay true to our core mission of service.
• Leverage your audience's expertise: It is essential to connect with your key audience early in your work for insights, especially those closest to the work. Engaging with frontline nurses early on, gathering their input, and incorporating their feedback enriches our work. Whether it's through surveys, focus groups, or direct conversations, tapping into this expertise ensures our initiatives resonate and succeed. In my role on the ANPD Board of Directors, this is often done through connecting directly with our members.
• Share your findings: Did you know that the first nursing peer-reviewed journal was published in 1900, but medical essays have been around since the 1700s? Nursing has a deep commitment to knowledge sharing. Whether it's successes, challenges, or unexpected outcomes, it's our responsibility to contribute to the collective wisdom of our profession. By sharing our work, we enrich the nursing community and drive innovation forward.

Thank you to our members for inspiring excellence in the lives of nurses, patients, and NPD colleagues alike! Let’s celebrate “Nurses Month” all year long by learning from each other’s mantras—what are yours? Join in on the discussion in The Neighborhood.