Morgan Hoffarth

The passing of the gavel at RNAO’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June was certainly different than in previous years, with the AGM taking place virtually as opposed to in-person given COVID-19. Although we could not meet in person, the energy was palpable during the three-day ZOOM event, which included, among other things, a visit from Florence Nightingale and an inspiring keynote on the power of nurses’ voices. In receiving the gavel (or hammer in this case) from Angela Cooper Brathwaite, I am officially the 56th president of RNAO. It is truly an honour to represent the 43,000+ members who make up our professional body, especially during the Year of the Nurse.

I have been an RNAO member for my entire nursing career and have served as an assembly member, chapter president, board representative, and now president. I bring to this latest role the privilege of work experience in primary care, home care, inpatient medicine, and the emergency department, as well as tertiary mental health. I am currently in complex care in London, where I live with my husband, Corey and our six-year-old son, Greyson.

I truly value the opportunities I’ve had to work as an RN in different settings. These have given me a broad understanding of our health system and the vast roles and world of possibilities our profession offers.

I have never been more proud of the work of our association and you, our members, than I have been over the past six months of the pandemic. Many of you have been working tirelessly across all the sectors of our health system. It has been incredible to hear the stories of members during the Monday evening COVID-19 webinars and to see the engagement of so many members and the public each week.

I want you to see yourselves as leaders and to step into leadership positions in your chapter, region or interest group. All nurses are leaders and RNAO provides incredible opportunities for members to develop these leadership skills.

I know many of us are tired. We have been adjusting, sometimes daily, to new policies and procedures. We have been working long hours and extra shifts. We have seen devastating losses and incredible recoveries. During this time of uncertainty, RNAO has been a leader every step of the way. I thank our CEO Doris Grinspun for heading RNAO’s command centre. Through her detailed updates, we have been able to stay up-to-date with what is happening in the province and around the world. The stories that have been shared online have been inspiring, energizing, and have given us hope in a difficult time.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the crisis in long-term care (LTC), which is not new to RNAO and its members. The association has been speaking out about the outdated funding model and need for improved staffing in LTC for years. I want to support members who work in LTC to continue to speak with elected officials about the need for commitments to improve LTC for the residents who call this sector home, their families and their staff.

The loss of life for those who live and work in LTC has been devastating. We need to commit to doing better in honour of the residents we’ve lost and those who cared for them, including RN Brian Beattie and numerous PSWs who also succumbed to the virus.

When the pandemic is behind us, I look forward to the in-person member engagement. Meanwhile, our virtual engagement is essential too, as we continue to grow and strengthen RNAO. I am looking forward to meeting with you, virtually and in person, starting with the Fall Tour coming in a couple of months.

I want you to see yourselves as leaders and to step into leadership positions in your chapter, region or interest group. All nurses are leaders and RNAO provides incredible opportunities for members to develop these leadership skills. I would urge you to reach out to your chapter or region executive, interest group executive, or your board representative to learn more about how you can become a leader in your local area or practice specialty area, and make an impactful difference on our profession.

I leave you with a comment that really stuck with me from the AGM’s closing keynote presentation: Nurses are often valued for what they do, but rarely for what they say. RNAO has a long history of speaking out and being heard. And each of us has the power to describe the work of nursing and the essential knowledge we bring to the work we do. We are a powerful collective that has the ability to shape how nursing knowledge is perceived and acted upon.

Stay safe and keep speaking out for nursing and speaking out for health.