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Monday May 5
IAHCSMM 2008 Annual Meeting: Online Report
Registration
7:00am
Breakfast with Mike Ditka
7:00am – 7:45am
An intimate breakfast was held with our keynote speaker Mike Ditka.
Attendees included IAHCSMM President Richard Schule, Past-President Don Gordon, and represntatives from Reno Sponsors: 3M, SPSmedical, Steris, Gentinge, Spectrum Surgical and Kimberly-Clark.
Introductions
7:45am – 8:15am
(see accompanying article to your right)
Announcements
8:15am
(see accompanying article to your right)
Keynote Speaker
8:30am – 10:00am It’s all about ACE: Attitude, Character and Enthusiasm
Speaker: Mike Ditka
Break
10:00am – 10:15am
General Session
10:15am – 11:30am
Together We WinSpeaker: Vivian Watson
(see accompanying article to your right)
Gold Rush - Introduction / Announcements
There's an undeniable sense of excitement resonating throughout Reno's Silver Legacy Resort, with nearly 900 wide-eyed attendees flooding the hallways, registration booths and ballrooms to be part of IAHCSMM's 43rd annual meeting -- and the Association's highly anticipated 50th anniversary celebration. Although this monumental event has barely gotten underway, it's already clear that it is IAHCSMM's best meeting ever.
“Demand for IAHCSMM education continues to grow and this is evident by the attendance here this week,” said IAHCSMM president Richard Schule during his opening remarks. He marveled at the international presence at the meeting -- with representatives from 15 foreign countries making the long trek to Reno -- as well as the 62% growth in overall attendance over last year's meeting in Atlanta. Also worth mentioning is the 60% increase in participating vendors; the exhibit hall, opening Tuesday, May 6, will feature a whopping 112 exhibits.
The many months and thousands of hours of hard work, preparation and attention to detail are apparent in the virtually every aspect of the meeting -- from the well-appointed facilities and seasoned, industry-leading experts (and the highly anticipated keynote speaker, Mike Ditka, of Chicago Bears fame) to the lavish and lively vendor-sponsored events. Of course, Reno's stunning, mountainous backdrop and cool, clear skies only further catapults this meeting to winning status. And despite the headline-grabbing earthquake reports of late, IAHCSMM is happy to report that the only rumbling felt thus far is from the stampede of attendees scurrying to the next session or social event. Make no mistake, IAHCSMM's 50th anniversary is a golden celebration indeed!
Keynote Address: Mike Ditka
It's all about ACE: Attitude, Character and EnthusiasmIt takes a certain kind of person to speak convincingly about attitude, character and enthusiasm -- and most would agree that Mike Ditka is one of them. As pro football Hall of Famer who has earned equal recognition as a coach in the NFL (most notably with the Chicago Bears), he certainly knows the ins and outs of teamwork, motivation and success, and how developing and maintaining an “ACE” attitude always ends in victory.
Ditka officially kicked off the 50 th Anniversary meeting by speaking honestly – and humorously – to a jam-packed ballroom of nearly 900 enthusiastic attendees. Attendees, who began filing into the ballroom an hour and a half before Ditka was set to take the stage, were eager to hear the coach's recipe for success and how motivation and teamwork can make them business champions within their healthcare organizations. He certainly didn't disappoint.
Success in all areas of life, he pointed out, is dependent upon one's attitude, character and enthusiasm. Ebven failure can ultimately lead to success, he assured. “Success is not permanent and failure isn't fatal. You can screw up success and you can overcome failure, but it's up to you,” he stressed, adding that the key difference between the two outcomes is one's willingness to persevere.
He explained how each and every day we awaken, we are given the opportunity to control our attitudes – and, ultimately, our destinies. “I've learned that ten percent of life is what happens to me. The other 90 percent is how I react to it.”
Beyond attitude, character also can make or break success. Character, he explained, isn't about reputation or what someone else believes to be true about an individual, but rather what a person actually is.
“Be careful of your thoughts because your thoughts can become words, and be careful of our words because words can become actions. Be careful your actions because those can become habits and be careful your habits because those become character...and be careful your character because it can become destiny,” he said.
Tackling life with gusto, both personally and professionally, is an equally important part of the success equation. Enthusiasm, he explained, is essential for fulfilling the quest for success, and while it may wane from time to time, staying motivated and moving forward toward positive goals plays a key role in achieving life's many victories.
Ditka's underlying message? Success doesn't always come easily, but with good attitude, respectable character and undying enthusiasm, it is indeed possible. It's an uplifting message that central service professionals need to remember, particularly in light of the myriad of challenges they encounter on any given day. Despite the obstacles, success can be yours...you just need to reach out and grab it!
WORTH REPEATING:
“You know, sitting here and listening to what's going on here today, it's amazing to me that what you're doing people take for granted. The whole world takes for granted that things are going to be a certain way when they get into a situation of health or being in the hospital. But it's not that way. Someone had to get things started, and someone had to have an idea of how to make things better. And that person was Betty.”
~Mike Ditka, referring to the importance of the Central Service profession and the role that IAHCSMM's executive director Betty Hanna has played in pushing the discipline to it's current, more respected state.
Together We Win!
The overflowing room of attendees who heard Vivian Watson speak about values, beliefs and attitudes – and how each influences teamwork and success – would likely agree that there was no person more poised to follow on the heels of Mike Ditka's keynote address.
While many speakers might feel intimidated to follow Ditka's well-received, humorous and noteworthy keynote, Vivian Watson more than rose to the occasion. This uplifting, spirited, endearing, and knowledgeable nurse of 50 years (and a 37-year surgical services veteran, including in Central Service) had a message that gently overlapped Ditka's -- but make no mistake, the message she delivered was all her own. Over the span of her speech, Watson managed to move attendees to uproarious laughter and even tears, and, finally, to a thunderous applause and standing ovation as she spoke from the heart about overcoming the challenges of a cleft palate and those who doubted she would ever fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse and helping others.
She thoughtfully and humorously recalled situations from her professional past that left an indelible mark on her own career and leadership qualities, including a circulating surgical nurse who, after growing tired of hearing a surgeon grumble about how he would only use a curved hemostat, would take it upon herself to bend hemostats whenever a sterile curved one wasn't available. Although Watson may not advocate taking liberties with surgical instrumentation, she said this particular nurse's willingness to get the job done for the sake of the team made her a hero or sorts in her eyes.
“I don't think it really matters who gets credit as long as the job gets done. The credit will come,” Watson assured. “Forget about yourself and you will be rewarded.”
She pointed out that we as professionals must work toward a common goal, being careful not to push others aside in a quest for self-promotion and -gratification. At the same time, she said, we must also remember to be a fair leader and never hurt one another with ill-natured, potentially damaging remarks. Instead, she explained that a mind/body partnership breeds health and peace, which, incidentally, helps breed success and foster organizational (or departmental) unity. It's a step she called “shaking the sugar tree” (and there are lots of morsels on that sugar tree, she added). “Do good deeds, find the good in others, be a good listener, speak softly to others and yourself, throw jewels, not crumbs, and use a velvet feather instead of cracking the whip,” she said.
She advocates eliminating the following negative words from one's vocabulary: I can't; if; doubt; I don't think; I don't have the time; maybe; I'm afraid; and I don't believe. “And stop saying 'I' – we are all a team in healthcare, after all.” Denial, destructive and “don't rock the boat” mentalities should also fall by the wayside if a team member truly wants to create a win-win situation. Watson also suggests adding these words to one's vocabulary: I can; I will (as in, “I will try and do that.”); expect the best; I know; I will have the time; positively; I am confident; and I do believe. “And don't forget to promote the use of 'you.'”
Success, to Watson, is “knowing what you are doing, loving what you are doing and believing in what you are doing.” But that's not all. Success also means having the capacity to love someone who seems unlovable, to learn, to laugh, and even to have the gumption to leave a job when you know you've contributed all you can. And, above all, she said, success is “remembering that the human touch is our most important product.”
