My journey to the AWHONN Emerging Leader Program began in 2008 at the AWHONN convention in Los Angeles.  I was in awe of the projects that nurses were working on and toward and wanted to be a part.  I was saddened to learn that the Emerging Leader Program was an every-other-year program and I would need to wait until 2010 to apply.  My application was submitted to AWHONN within days of it becoming available, and it was such a thrill to learn that I had been chosen to participate in the program. 

In January, 2010, I joined the four other Emerging Leaders for a day-long leadership meeting in Washington, DC.  We were introduced to Joy Harvey, MPA, who not only serves as the coordinator for the Emerging Leaders Program, but also as the Director of Leadership Services for AWHONN.  We also met Jo Manion, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, who facilitated our meeting.  At that meeting, we learned a great deal about each other and ourselves as leaders.  We talked about our personal vision for ourselves.  We also started to discuss what our leadership project would be. 

The project that I chose to work on was “Maintaining Competency in a Rural/Low Volume Setting.”  As a nurse who works in a rural area, this subject hit very close to home.  Over the past year, I have worked with the Obstetrics staff at Littleton Regional Hospital to develop meaningful drills to help them be better prepared in emergency situations.  The drills have included  postpartum hemorrhage, prolapsed cord and response to an eclamptic seizure. 

I was assigned an AWHONN committee and a mentor.  My AWHONN committee assignment was to the Editorial Advisory Board for Nursing for Women’s Health.  I listened in on conference calls as the Board discussed potential nominations for holes that were opening up.  Jennifer Hellwig, MS, RD, ELS, the Managing Editor for Nursing for Women’s Health, also invited me to become a submission reviewer, which has been a tremendous experience.  The mentor that was assigned to me was Linda Schofield, CNAA, MSN, RN, BC.  Linda was a tremendous help to me in providing resources for my project and an encouraging voice. 

As a group, we participated in leadership webinars.  The topics of these webinars included principles of leadership, emotional intelligence and diversity.  Part of the webinars was usually to work with a partner (one of the other Emerging Leaders) on self-study related to the topic.  We would report back what we had learned about ourselves and each other as leaders.  This helped us grow individually and bond as a group. 

We also gathered as a group in Las Vegas at the AWHONN convention and spent Friday discussing our leadership projects and drilling down to what type of leader we were.  It is a spirited group with great discussion and camaraderie.  The Emerging Leader group was invited to the VIP party on Saturday night.  It was a fantastic opportunity to meet others within the AWHONN organization.  Susan Albrecht, PhD, RN, FAAN, the current president of AWHONN, was a wonderful host. 

Through the course of the year, I have learned a great deal about myself, both who I am now and who I want to be in the future.  I have met wonderful people and formed relationships that I believe will last a lifetime.  I would strongly recommend this experience to anyone who is considering it. 

 Kimberly Force, RNC, MSN, Joanne Thompson, RNC, CNS, MSN, Kirsten Brennan, RN, MSNc, Wendy Colgan, RNC, MSNc, Olufunke Ilori, RNM, MBA, BSN, Joy Harvey (AWHONN coordinator), MPA

11/21/10