Unit chair!

I was asked today to be the unit chair of our unit’s several subcommittees. (The current chair is taking a new position within the hospital, and she is having to give up some of her current responsibilities.) This might be what I needed to help bring me out of my professional funk.

I’ll shadow our current chair this week during the meeting with all the other unit chairs.  I’m excited because this is the group that gets things done.  This is the group that put together the clinical ladder for the nurses.  This is the group that launches other projects throughout the hospital in an attempt to improve work conditions and patient safety.

Part of the my funk has been watching the day-to-day bullshit and not being able to do much about it.  My co-workers will seem to feel the same way, but they don’t have any drive to do anything except collect a paycheck and go home.  We all belong to subcommittees on paper, but I don’t know that anyone can remember the last time they even thought about meeting.  I’m trying not to get my hopes up here, but I’m happy for the chance to try something new.  For the chance to connect with people who are motivated to change.

I said yes for all of the above reasons and another:  to aim higher.