Message from AHVAP President-Elect

I can't believe summer is right around the corner! I hope you have scheduled some time off to unwind and relax. It is so important to reinvigorate oneself not only personally but professionally. It's easy to reinvigorate oneself personally: take a walk, meditate, or spend time with loved ones. Professionally, it can seem a little more daunting. I am not biased, but I have found that the best way to reinvigorate yourself professionally is to involve yourself in an organization such as AHVAP. Membership can help you develop a strong network with similar passions, goals, and struggles. Consider volunteering for one of our impactful committees (the call for volunteers will open in summer 2024). If volunteering is not something you can commit to at this moment, consider one of our many offerings in leadership development and/or one of our various micro-certifications. If that is still too much of a commitment, there are more ways for you to engage and connect to your passion. Our Member Zone meetings are a place to bring your successes and struggles. This hour-long meeting provides a connection point for members to share their expertise and experiences. It is timely and meaningful. Perhaps the most energizing discussions occur at the monthly AHVAP Professional Edge Book Club discussion. This past Friday, we discussed The Professional Agile Leader by Ron Eringa, Kurt Bittner, and Laurens Bonnema.

Again, I am not biased (well, maybe I am), but this book club is truly interactive and stimulating. AHAVP provides a structured environment to dive into powerful leadership books. It allows our members to stay informed and enhance their knowledge and skills in this genre and allows for the discussion of diverse perspectives and insights. For example, we discussed the basis of being agile and that sometimes, being agile can be regarded as being too flexible and that change would be constant- and ultimately exhausting. AHVAP President Karen Niven regards being nimble as the better alternative because it provides more of a guardrail to the end goal. Engaging with a group of professionals from different backgrounds offers diverse perspectives on the book's content, much like our new “Nivinism” described above. This can lead to richer discussions, new ideas, and a deeper understanding of complex topics. I hope you can join us next month as, together, we foster personal and professional growth and hone critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills. The AHVAP book club can indeed help reinvigorate your professional life, and we have fun, too!

Sincerely,

Anne Marie Orlando, MBA, RN, RCIS, CVAHP™, FACHDM, PNAP, FAHVAP
President-Elect, Board of Directors
AHVAP