sshadmin posted on January 02, 2019 11:02
Happy New Year to all of our members around the world! As we begin 2019, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on my experiences as your President in 2018. It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve in this capacity for your Society. I had the opportunity to visit several of our affiliate organizations during their annual meetings in Europe, Canada and the USA. During these visits, I had the opportunity to meet many of you from around the world and the national societies you represented. These interactions served to remind me how hard all of you work to move our profession forward. Your passion for healthcare simulation and excellence is truly remarkable. You have strengthened my belief that we have matured as a profession with published standards of practice, a sound and growing evidence base, certification and accreditation pathways and soon, a code of ethics. What a wonderful time to be a simulationist!
Your Society has matured as well. We now have over 4,000 members worldwide and our committees, sections, special interest groups and affinity groups are all active in moving the simulation field to the next level of excellence. I would like to thank all the volunteer chairs, vice chairs and members of these groups for their hard work in 2018 and I look forward to continued progress in 2019. If you have not already joined one of these groups, make that your New Year’s resolution and get more involved in your Society to help shape the future and learn along the way.
None of the good work of your Society could have been accomplished without the tireless efforts of our SSH staff. Led by our Executive Director, Jenn Manos, your staff has devoted countless hours of effort to ensure the smooth functioning of the Society and to serve our volunteer leaders and members. As President, I have had a front seat in observing how talented a staff we have and how they are devoted to the success of our members and the Society. They are the glue that holds us all together and they deserve our heartfelt thanks.
As this is my last letter to you as your President, I want to thank each and every one of you for all you do in simulation in pursuit of better and safer patient care. You may not have any idea of your impact today, but I am certain that whatever you do, some patient, somewhere in the world receiving healthcare will be better served because of what they have learned through your efforts. This is why we do what we do every day – because it matters.
I hope to meet many of you at IMSH 2019 in San Antonio, Texas. Please share your stories with me and let me know what you are doing. I wish for all of you a safe, healthy and productive year in healthcare simulation in 2019.
Joe Lopreiato MD, MPH, CHSE-A
SSH President 2018