Every year we choose a theme for the NANT Conference. For this Third Annual NANT Conference we chose, “Cultivating Growth and Collaboration in Neonatal Therapy”. These themes are highly intentional, and believe it or not, harder to create than it seems.
Why?
Because words have power. Because intentions create actions and then results. And we care deeply about the type of actions and results we create because slowly, they change us as a group. They improve us. Lead us.
It’s a big responsibility. And it’s fun!
There are many facets to cultivating growth:
- YOUR growth as a new neonatal therapist.
- YOUR growth as a neonatal therapist with 20 years of experience.
- YOUR growth as a professional and a human being.
- OUR collective growth as an association of passionate colleagues.
- OUR growth as a specialized field.
- (Not to mention that steady growth is one of our patients’ primary goals!)
We want to make sure we’re putting things into place that support your growth in all of these facets. And not just support it, but cultivate it!
Yes, NANT is growing by leaps and bounds. And yes, YOU are too. You tell us about your projects, goals and vision, and we couldn’t be more impressed.
We know that the more we collaborate along the way, the more we feed this growth and the better we serve our patients. So collaboration HAD to be part of the theme for 2013. ‘Collaboration’ does not just indicate we want to ‘play nice’ in the sandbox with our colleagues.
It means we want to collectively become a force for the improvement of short and long term developmental outcomes for the babies we care so much about.
This can’t happen if only one discipline shows up.
This can’t happen if we purposely keep one discipline out of the NICU because we want control.
This can’t happen if we ‘throw each other under the bus’.
This can’t happen if we have an elitist or defeatist attitude among our colleagues.
Collaboration is one of those words that sounds really nice but can be really difficult to enact in an intensive care unit where multiple disciplines interact every day under stressful conditions.
But here’s the thing: at the end of the day, we all care deeply about everything these babies experience, from the tiniest amazing moments to lifelong outcomes.
If we give each other a break, support each other as human beings and colleagues regardless of discipline, and work together toward our common goal even when (especially when) it’s uncomfortable – who wins?
We all do.
“Cultivating Growth and Collaboration in Neonatal Therapy”.
