By James X. Stobinski, Ph.D., RN, CNOR, CNAMB, CSSM(E), CEO, Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI)
In 2007 I retired from the Navy Nurse Corps and we had some music during that ceremony. One particularly poignant song heard that day was “Time Has Come Today” by the Chambers Brothers. I grew up in the 1960s, a very turbulent time in America, and this song by the Chambers Brothers has always resonated with me. “The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1967 psychedelic soul hit ‘Time Has Come Today.’ The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements.”
Here is part of the lyrics which begin the song. Even one listen to the song will stick with you as the band begins the tune with an almost hypnotic introduction featuring a cowbell.
Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can’t put it off another day
I don’t care what others say
They think we don’t listen anyway
Time has come today
You may have heard this song as it has appeared in numerous film soundtracks. A link to a video of the song replete with the 1960s psychedelic effects is found here:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2z2eab
It seems only fitting that I fit in a mention of the song here as this will be the last column I write for CCI for the OR Today publication. Almost 15 years ago I retired from the Navy Nurse Corps and after two different civilian employers and over 11 years of employment with the Competency and Credentialing Institute it is now time to leave civilian employment. In a bit of serendipity, I was recently interviewed for an article. A friend of many years, Judy Mathias, conducted the interview.
I must say that I am honored that Judy allowed me to share some thoughts on leadership. In my military service a premium was placed on leadership development, and it was a responsibility to foster the careers of your subordinates. It is very gratifying to see junior Nurse Corps officers grow in their careers and flourish. I have been blessed to be able to assist a few young officers on their professional development journeys. My career has benefited greatly from working with some excellent leaders as I mentioned in that article. I am also very grateful to have has superb pre-licensure education at the Toledo Hospital School of Nursing.
In leaving CCI and scaling back on my work hours it does open opportunities for new things. On a personal level I look forward to spending more time with my family, teaching more and writing some long-delayed articles. For those of you at the far end of perioperative nursing career there are still many opportunities to contribute to your profession. There is a great need for nursing school instructors and nursing programs would benefit from a perioperative perspective. Consider what you can contribute and perhaps enrich your life with volunteer opportunities in your community.
We had a saying in the military, “The mark of your career is not what you accomplish but rather what is accomplished by those you have trained and mentored.” I am proud to say that I was able to assist a few nurses in my career and many have had productive careers and accomplished much in their own right. That is a great thing. On a personal level, I have enjoyed just about every day of my time at CCI and writing these columns but it is now on to new adventures. The time has come today.
– James X. Stobinski, Ph.D., RN, CNOR, CNAMB, CSSM(E), is CEO of the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI).
References
Mathias J M. (202)2. James X Stobinski: A leader paying it forward. Humble giants of leadership: Leadership lessons from luminaries inside and outside the OR. Accessed December 13, 2022 at: https://www.ormanager.com/james-x-stobinski-a-leader-paying-it-forward/
Time has come today. (n.d.) https://genius.com/The-chambers-brothers-time-has-come-today-lyrics
The Chambers Brothers (2022). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chambers_Brothers
