Message from the President
Gabrielle Douthitt Seibel, August 2012
I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.
--Lily Tomlin
I remember in 2005 having this very same realization that Lily Tomlin had, though she was more capable of putting the sentiment into a succinct, lighthearted message. My story is a tad longer and maybe a bit heavier. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina had hit the Gulf Coast. I watched the news reports with my family, seeing the devastation of what had become one of the top 5 deadliest hurricanes in the USA. Yet our country wasn’t responding. How could this be?? Why isn’t anybody DOING anything? Why isn’t anybody helping?? And then it hit me. Oh. I’M somebody. I’M not doing anything. I’m just sitting here watching it all, complaining that nobody else is doing anything. As my Dad always said, if I’m not part of the solution I better make sure I’m not part of the problem. It was time to make sure I was not part of the problem.
I quickly figured out how I could get to the Gulf Coast and volunteer – my clinical skills, physical labor….whatever was needed. It really was a life changing experience seeing the ever-growing group of volunteers who gathered, organized, jumped in and started working however they could all day long. I was deeply inspired to witness how much of the work that must get done – the real dirty work – comes not from those getting paid for their efforts, but from people whose hearts are devoted to reaching out to other humans, no matter what the circumstance, skin color, income level, or severity of need. This is humanity at it’s best.
I want to challenge us, over the course of this next year, to step up and get involved. To volunteer and contribute in ways that might not be compensated by a paycheck.
There doesn’t need to be another Hurricane Katrina to inspire people to help one another, to be human with one another, or to find a cause that is worthy. The needs right now are great and far reaching. There is something for everyone to do.
We are moving into another legislative session. The Affordable Care Act has been upheld, but we don’t know how that will play out exactly. Who will benefit and who will be left behind? How will the Medicaid budget changes impact the children we care for? The healthcare budget in our state is cutting children’s services at an unprecedented rate. Our families will suffer. As Lily Tomlin would say: “Why doesn’t somebody do something ?” Ahhh. YOU are somebody.
As nurse practitioners in clinical practice, we are privileged. We were fortunate enough to receive higher education. We are honored to have parents entrust their children to our care. We have made it through those tough times of college and graduate school, and we can now relax and get comfortable in our positions. But who is training the upcoming new nurse practitioners? Our state graduate nursing schools are struggling every quarter to find placements for students to learn clinical practice. The fundamental aspects of training are threatened due to lack of practicing NPs willing to mentor students. What was it Lily Tomlin would say? “Why doesn’t somebody do something?” YOU are somebody.
As I talk to some of my physician colleagues about my work with NAPNAP, they wonder what the heck NAPNAP is. Our professional organization is not well known. ARNPs talk frequently about the role confusion others experience around the variety of nursing roles. Will this get better or worse with implementation of the Consensus Model (where all nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists will be licensed as APRNs)? Nurse practitioners have historically been frustrated with the lack of understanding of their roles and the confusion in their communities. Why doesn’t somebody do something to improve this? YOU are somebody.
We must step back and ask ourselves why we are here. Appreciate and be thankful for the privilege to have the education, skills, and roles in our patient’s lives that we do. But we must not stop moving forward and must not become complacent. There is a world all around us that cannot function at its best when people simply show up for work each day. I do not want to downplay showing up for work – our work is critical and important. But we DO need to get involved, and push ourselves to do a bit more. If each of us can find our passion, find a cause, or find somewhere we can contribute a little, we will in fact make the world a better place. It may be small scale, or it may be huge. What matters is that we contribute in some way through advocacy, volunteerism, precepting or other creative means. Your efforts can enrich the world, can provide vision, and can allow fullness in life for your fellow humans.
Let me know about how you volunteer in your community. Email me a brief summary of your efforts at gabrielle.seibel@seattlechildrens.org I will share results in the next newsletter.
A brief introduction: I have been a practicing PNP for 18 years in the areas of primary care pediatrics, adolescence, and sickle cell disease. In addition I was the Liaison for the Neurodevelopmental Centers in the state where I was heavily involved in state policy and legislation advocacy. I currently work at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic both in primary care and sickle cell. I have volunteered internationally, focusing on African countries, for the past 7 years and volunteer locally with the Red Cross on the Disaster Response Team. I look forward to serving as your NAPNAP president this year, and welcome any comments or suggestions to my email listed above.