You’re correct, I normally wouldn’t have two international holidays in 12 months, but this one has been four years in the making. Our hospital, the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, recently received its fourth designation as a Magnet hospital. What does that mean? Let’s just say it means a lot of blood, sweat and tears to prepare a submission that shows evidence to the American Nurses’ Credentialling Centre that the PA Hospital is at the top of its game in nursing excellence. Our 2000+ nurses received notification earlier this year that we were successfully designated as a Magnet Hospital and this was the chance to celebrate the achievement at one of the largest gatherings of nurses in the world, with over 10000 delegates attending.
The first 8 days of the trip really was a work trip to attend the conference. After a couple of days in LA to recover from the long-haul flight, Bernie and I planned to hop on over to Orlando ready for the conference. In LA we discovered a new local Mexican restaurant where there were lines all day to get a table - a sure sign of good food and atmosphere. It did not disappoint! Neither did the Warner Bros studio tour, with the opportunity to sit on the couch in Central Perk, sit in Sheldon’s spot in the Big Bang Theory set and learn a lot about the behind the scenes of a major studio.
We explored the LA Holocaust museum, shopped at the Farmer’s Market and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Having both been to LA before we really didn’t need to do too many of the regular touristy things.
And so onto Orlando, and we lose an entire day travelling across the country as our flight had a stopover in Minneapolis before heading south. Late night into Orlando where we met up with Bernadette and Shauna and the Australia’s Next Top Model House was complete. We have a three bedroom townhouse, three and a half bathrooms and fully self-contained. Monday morning and no big plans other than a spot of grocery shopping to stock the fridge and then on the iRide trolley to check out the outlets.
Tuesday we did a tour I planned of downtown Orlando - starting with a visit to the Pulse Memorial - a temporary memorial to the 49 victims of the mass-shooting at the Pulse Nightclub. Somber, but a celebration and honour to the lives lost. Then a walk to the Wells’ Built Hotel and Museum. For those who’ve seen The Green Book, this is one of the hotels featured in the green book where African Americans could stay, outside of the city proper while visiting the city. The road we had to cross was Division Avenue, which was the boundary for black folk to stay outside of the city. The hotel had had such famous guests as BB King, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. Next stop, Orlando Science Centre, then Gods and Monsters (a comic book store) and then the Titanic Exhibit. Finished the night at Senor Frogs for another Mexican meal and home.
Wednesday was my favourite day - a ride on an airboat into the headwaters of the Florida Everglades. So much bird life, some gators (babies and a mama) and skimming over the water and bush on a cushion of air. The last two times I’ve been to Orlando my trips have been cancelled due to poor weather so it was certainly third time’s a charm. It was such a great day in the water and seeing the gators was a real bonus.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday it was down to business - meeting up with fellow Magnet facilities, reigniting friendships from previous conferences and learning about the great work Magnet hospitals are doing to advance both patient care and nursing excellence. 3 keynote speakers, hundreds of concurrent sessions, over 100 poster presentations and a hall full of exhibitors eager to show the latest innovative designs. I even got to play a bit of corn hole in the great hall!
Walking across that stage as they announced our fourth designation was something that I can’t explain how overwhelming it felt. As a support officer to the nursing profession, I wanted to be able to share that moment with the people on my feed, so FB live was activated and while it was not the best quality and a little bit all over the place, it was still a documentation of the madness of 128 organisations gaining the recognition they deserve.
Conference done and dusted and I’ve picked up my rental car and am heading to Covington GA in the morning. My first drive on US roads was uneventful, however it is exciting to be able to turn right on red after stopping at lights. I have a white Infiniti QZ50 which was a surprise upgrade from the smaller car I had ordered. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to turn it on as it is a keyless ignition!
The rest of my trip is as a solo traveller so will hopefully have time to blog each night. Wish me luck.
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