Editorial Message: Recharge Your Battery at SAWC

Dear Readers,   A man walked into a restaurant with a set of jumper cables draped around his neck. He asked the waitress for a table so he could get something to eat. She thought for a minute, and then cautioned him, “Just don’t try to start something!”   This is a cute joke, and it got me thinking about jumper cables. I am sure just about everyone has used them at one time or another, and many of you probably own at least one set. When we think of jumper cables, we generally think of a weak or dead battery. We need jumper cables to transfer electricity from a battery that contains power to a battery that has lost its power. It is no big deal—if you have a weak or dead battery you get someone with a good battery and jumper cables to connect their battery to yours, “jumping” power from one to the other. It works very well most times.   What does this have to do with wound care? Well, have you ever felt like your “battery” is weak or dead when it comes to taking care of your patients? I know I have.   Taking care of patients with any chronic problem is a challenging and stressful task. Wound care can be especially taxing since, in addition to dealing with difficult problems, many times the patients are not as concerned about their problems as we are. Over a period of time this can result in our “batteries” losing their charge and needing a jump-start. Through the years, I have found one of the best ways to jump-start my battery and fully recharge it is to connect my “jumper cables” to educational programs and time spent with colleagues. This can recharge my battery by reassuring me that I am doing the right thing for my patients, helping me learn what might be new in the treatment of certain problems, and allowing me to connect with old friends and meet new friends who are having the same issues I am having.   Successful recharging of a battery is impossible if the battery posts where the jumper cables are attached are rusted or corroded. Electricity cannot flow into the battery to recharge it. This happens with us, too. To be successfully recharged, we must clean the old, out-of-date ideas away so we can accept evidence-based information flowing through our jumper cables. Attending educational programs and visiting with colleagues are excellent ways to learn what should be “cleaned away” to make room for new, evidence-based information.   You also know that if you turn your car off before the battery is completely recharged or replaced, you will again be stuck without enough power to start your vehicle. It is easy to get a small charge to your battery, but not one that is adequate to fully charge it. This means that to keep the battery fully charged, electricity must be continually transferred into the battery. My battery can be fully charged by going to a multi-day educational program, but I find that it is most effectively charged by multiple smaller charging sessions. Educational programs like the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (being held in Denver, CO, May 1-5) are excellent places to connect your “jumper cables” to get an intensive charge in your battery. There are multiple other shorter and varied educational opportunities that can also keep your battery fully charged.   No matter how you choose to use your jumper cables to recharge your battery, remember that it is critical to maintain the charge. Without a fully charged, energized “battery” none of us can provide the quality wound care that our patients deserve. I encourage you to use your “jumper cables” to connect your battery to an energized educational source.