Resolutions for 2007

Happy 2007! I for one am more than happy to see this new year begin. Those of you who know me personally will understand what I am talking about. A new year brings with it new ideas, new promises, new commitments, and dare I say, new resolutions. How many of you are in the habit of making a resolution with which to usher in the New Year? An even better question would be how many of you are able to uphold those resolutions? It seems nearly impossible these days with the hectic lives we lead.

This is the year that I will finally honor my resolutions by attacking, head on, some of the problems I face daily in my profession. As infection prevention professionals you are doing exactly the same thing, as you are constantly bombarded with problems and challenges not only as caregivers, but as managers and even administrators.

Over the past year we have presented a number of articles to help you meet some of these challenges. This January we will take it a step further by producing our first-ever ICT Conference on Professional Development, which will be held Jan. 24-26 in Las Vegas. This conference was designed with you in mind. Our goal is to have you walk away with new tools, while helping you enhance those skills you already possess. We have assembled an excellent panel of professionals to help you do just that. Lets just hope that this time, whatever happens in Vegas doesnt stay there.

We have to spread the knowledge we have with others in the profession by sharing our personal experiences while listening to the suggestions and know-how of our peers. George Bernard Shaw once observed, If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience? Unfortunately this is all too true, even in healthcare. The problem is, in healthcare not only does history (bugs) repeat itself, but they get smarter and stronger along the way.

My resolution for 2007, and maybe yours too, is to educate myself and stay ahead of the curve. Its up to us to develop professionally any way possible and not let opportunities to learn from others pass us by. We must constantly improve ourselves by finding knowledge in what we have done in the past. Only then can we truly understand what our resolutions should be in the future.

See you in Las Vegas!

Bill Eikost

Publisher weikost@vpico.com