The Power of Engagement With Multidisciplinary Societies

You may have asked yourself, “How do I meet people who share my interests, and how can I positively impact patient care?” The answer is to engage and become a member of national and international societies for practice, research, education, leadership, and advocacy. You can create a powerful purpose shared with others for new ideas and work together with openness and engagement. Engagement in these societies can be a platform for building unlimited connections for professional development.

WHICH SOCIETY TO CHOOSE?

Your focus should be on engaging with a society or societies with the goal of an eventual chair or co-chair position on the advisory board. Many societies are urging people to join and engage because so many people changed jobs and priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. You could be the very person needed for leadership and collaboration. When shopping for a society, think of the following concepts.

Practice. You can join many groups specific to the practice of nurses, physical or occupational therapists, physicians, and surgeons. Being involved in a society with multiple disciplines creates a richer environment for learning and sharing if the hierarchy structure within the culture is complementary. The Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses Society is a great one to join, with the membership primarily consisting of nurses. The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care and the American Professional Wound Care Association have various members: podiatrists, surgeons, physical therapists, nurses, physician assistants, and stakeholders from industry and advocacy. You may want to be engaged in a few.

Some practice groups or societies are based on the population served or the health care provider’s role (eg, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, International Street Medicine Association). Although you may be a novice at wound care but an expert in working with the geriatric population, joining groups like these will provide you with new perspectives in wound care education, transitions of care, and advocacy needed in your combined areas of expertise.   

Research. Nurses have the research group Sigma, which used to be Sigma Theta Tau. It is a scholarly, research, and evidence-based practice forum for sharing, with a repository for research presentations. Sigma is an international society for junior and senior undergraduate, graduate, master’s, and doctoral students with an annual meeting to promote research and evidence-based practice dissemination. Local chapters are scattered worldwide.

Education and technology. Critical Care Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, American Association of Physician Assistants, and American Association of Nurse Practitioners all promote education and use of technology in health care. All have educational programs and leaders who help to decide what evidence-based practice and science to present at symposiums, for accreditation, and as online education.

Leadership. Nurse or hospital leadership associations focus on gathering leaders and those choosing to lead when not in a formal leadership position.

Advocacy. The advocacy for hiring staff, patient care, safety, and even health care provider wellness has been at the forefront recently. Many hospitals and societies have realized that having a satisfied and healthy workforce can increase patient and worker satisfaction. One should consider advocating for wellness promotion programs within every society.

When thinking of wellness promotion and having a diverse workforce, think of diversity, equity, and inclusion interweaved among all the above concepts. Keeping these concepts in mind, one can build new connections to meet people with similar interests, different educational backgrounds, and varied past and future professional paths.

I encourage you to live your best life by following and sharing your passions as they connect to wounds, skin, and the nexus for practice, research, education, leadership, and advocacy by joining and thoroughly engaging with multidisciplinary societies.

Dr Kirkland-Kyhn is the director of wound care, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA. The opinions and statements expressed herein are specific to the respective authors and not necessarily those of Wound Management & Prevention or HMP Global. This article was not subject to the Wound Management & Prevention peer-review process.