“ I will identify the most pressing challenge in my immediate work environment ... initiate dialogue with my colleagues to find solutions to this challenge ... (and) remain actively involved in the solutions until they are working.” This pledge is from the commitment card that past AACN President Connie Barden, RN, MSN, CCNS, CCRN, encouraged attendees to sign at the 2003 National Teaching Institute (NTI), sponsored by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Participants who signed the card received a pin denoting their commitment to the “Bold Voice” theme that Barden initiated.

Excited about accepting the challenge, members of our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) who attended the conference agreed that our colleagues “back home” should be made aware of it. If everyone in the unit made the commitment, our voice would be even bolder and more powerful.

Our first step was to present the Bold Voice commitment to our...

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