100 years of taking care of those who take care.

Well, this is it! We are ready to celebrate 100 years of SCNA! I trust that all of you have September 13-14, 2007 on your calendar and are ready to be with us in Columbia for THE statewide nursing event of the year.

Recently a colleague who is the Executive Director at the Tennessee Nurses Association, Sharon Adkins, talked with several of us about a campaign that TNA is launching for a membership effort. I just loved the concept and so, in the best tradition of association management ... when one hears about a great idea, one starts to use it ... I decided to share it with you.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The idea? Well, as all of you know, insurance of all kinds is a large part of our lives. We insure our lives, our houses, our cars, our precious valuables, our children, maybe even our pets. It is not wise to be in the practice of nursing without the proper professional liability insurance. We have been trying to educate RNs about this issue for years. As a matter of fact, when I speak to students in their professional issues classes, I refer to practicing without professional liability insurances as "walking naked in the world." But, have you ever considered that SCNA is INSURANCE for your profession and how you practice? Simply put, SCNA membership is providing yourself with professional practice insurance about and for the profession of nursing.

For 100 years of the existence of SCNA we have been in the "business" of protecting and advancing the practice of Registered Nurses. For 100 Years RNs in South Carolina and the US have valued the profession of Registered Nursing enough to be members of their state and national organization. You would not be practicing in the way that you do today without the hard work and dedication of those who went before you. Your education would be different, your opportunities would be different and your future would be different.

Here is a visual example that I thought about using: Crowds of naked people walking through the streets ... who are these people? Why, they are RNs in a world without the state nurses association. I call it the Naked Nurse Image. I consulted with some SCNA leaders and they thought that maybe I had really gone a little far with my visual concept. So, since is more than a little "much" for our publication ... legions of naked people marching through the pages, I decided to tell you about it instead. (I now have one spine straightening thought ... my computer file currently has on it my search for "naked people" ... oh, my!) Bet you can see that visual even without the graphics!

Is this a rather outrageous way of thinking? Yes, it is! Is it the truth that must be told? Yes, it is! 100 years of advancing and progressing can be undone in the blink of an eye or the scratching of a pen. Your professional practice can and will change irrevocably if you are not a part of the only group in South Carolina dedicated solely to the advancement and enhancement of the profession of nursing. So, as we begin the next century of SCNA, we will welcome all of you to membership in SCNA!

See you September 13-14, 2007 at the 100th Celebration and Convention! ONWARD!

Judith Curfman Thompson, IOM 

Executive Director and Lobbyist