Executive Message November 2021

Happy fall, y’all!  Sharing a glimpse of my southern roots!

It’s hard to believe we are 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet, we all remain committed to transforming care and improving outcomes for our patients. We do this despite personal hardships, workplace staffing shortages, and at times, waning morale. Thus, a fall newsletter focused on burnout is very timely and important. We must acknowledge that burnout in our field exists, is becoming more prevalent, and should be at the forefront of our conversation. As pediatric cardiac critical care clinicians, we focus on caring for our patients, but often forget to care for ourselves, and importantly, to care for each other. You can’t pour anything out of an empty cup. We must take time to fill our cups so we can give our best efforts to our patients and be the kind of team members that lift others up. This, of course, is easier said than done. And yet, little things can have a very big impact. Listen first and listen to understand.  Never underestimate the power of a kind word. Give yourself and each other grace.  It is imperative that we practice self-care and team-care because our longevity in this field depends on it, and our patients are counting on us!

In what has been a challenging time, the recent annual PCICS meeting was a bright spot! The meeting celebrated the 25^th anniversary of PCICS; it allowed our PCICS community to reflect on the history of our society and our field, and to look to the future with enthusiasm.  As I sat in front of my computer those three days, wishing I was in Miami of course, I was struck by how impactful PCICS has been due to the tireless efforts of our members. This left me feeling very thankful to be a part of PCICS. The PCICS Program Committee, led by Christin Diller and Jason Buckley, planned amazing content delivered by exceptional speakers. As one of our board members shared after the meeting concluded, it “truly shined a light on what remains meaningful and inspirational: exceptional care, clinical curiosity, and the power of interdisciplinary collaboration.” I would again like to extend our sincere gratitude to the meeting sponsors. Thank you for supporting PCICS, our meeting, and the community we serve.

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2021, we are excited to offer more opportunities to strengthen connections amongst our members. The PCICS Special Interest Groups are an excellent way to network within the PCICS community and remain engaged with the society between conferences. The Advanced Practice Provider, Bedside Nurse, CNS/Educator, and Administrative SIGs remain active and growing, and we are starting several additional SIGs for Physicians, Dietitians, OT/PT, Speech, Pharmacists, and Respiratory Therapists with the hope of growing our multidisciplinary community. In addition, the PCICS Business Meeting will be held virtually in December 2021. Stay tuned, the date is to be decided. We hope you will join us and look forward to sharing more about the PCICS strategic plan with all of you.