The phrase “there's no place like home” is well known to most of us. Judy Garland, as Dorothy, in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz repeated these words as she clicked her heels and hoped for the return to the comforts of her own bed and beloved family (Vidor et al., 1939). We can long for familiar situations of comfort, so much so that we can become homesick. Historically, the medical profession diagnosed this as “nostalgia,” which was considered a potentially fatal illness. In fact, it was deemed the cause of death or grave illness for many civil war soldiers (Horwitz, 2015).

For many people, home is the geographic location where they reside, but for others, home is a feeling of appreciation and involvement. Home is typically where you find comfort, solace, joy, love, support, and a sense of consistency. Beyond the physical presence, home is the feeling of belonging. For these reasons, home may not even be a physical place but rather another person or state of being. Similar to a fingerprint, the definition of home for each of us is unique. The brick and mortar of the structure varies greatly. Colors, smells, views, and sounds are tailored to an individual's definition of what your home may be. For most of us, this image brings us comfort; unfortunately, that is not true for all.

For me, home is not an address or a physical location but rather an atmosphere filled with family and loved ones. It is the memory of familiar smells like my grandpa's pipe, tastes like my mother's Sunday meatloaf, or sounds like the laughter and chatter of my children playing with friends in the basement. In 2003, I learned firsthand that the words “home” and “house” were not interchangeable. My family experienced a house fire, losing 100% of our house and belongings. Literally, there was a moment in my life when I had no physical property. Our family rebuilt a house and made a new home, once again filled with happiness and belongings. While I grieved the loss of the physical items, through the healing process, I recognized that the home in my mind was more valuable than any physical property or house could ever be worth. My son, daughter, and I were surrounded by a community of love and support that offered us a sense of belonging and security. Our house was gone, but our sense of home endured.

I feel the same way about the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN). STN is my professional home and the place where I can count on a community of peers who are always willing and ready to provide advice, support, and resources to help me achieve my professional goals. A professional home can be defined as an organization for individual members associated with a specific profession, interest, or occupation (The Welding Institute, n.d.). Professional homes incorporate specific knowledge, skills, experiences, and academic principles related to their members' professions or occupations, which, in turn, can help support their members' professional development and advancement (The Welding Institute, n.d.). Health care professionals aspire to maintain common attributes, including a dedication to helping others, treating others with respect, and a commitment to lifelong learning (Staples, 2009). Health care professionals working in trauma-related fields should have a professional home that supports them in their common goals and challenges.

As such, STN is an ideal professional home for trauma nurses. STN's mission is to ensure optimal trauma care to all people locally, regionally, nationally, and globally through initiatives focused on trauma nurses related to prevention, education, and collaboration with other health care disciplines (STN, 2022). STN advocates for the highest level of quality trauma care across the continuum. We accomplish these objectives through an environment that fosters visionary leadership, mentoring, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration in the delivery of trauma care. STN aims to be the premier global nursing organization across the trauma care continuum.

The benefits of making STN your professional home are many. Educational offerings are plentiful. Formalized courses include the Trauma Outcomes and Performance Improvement Course (TOPIC), the Optimal Trauma Center Organization and Management Course (OPTIMAL), Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN), and the new Pediatric Trauma Care Across the Continuum Course (PTACC). The STN offers monthly webinars, journal clubs, and the e-library of Trauma Lectures. If you are looking to prepare for the TCRN examination, the TCRN Preparatory Course is available. The Leadership Institute offers a 12-week web-based course to advance leadership skills. The Research Webinar series is a six-module on-demand program to educate members on the research process.

The STN annual conference, TraumaCon, will occur March 29–31, 2023, in beautiful Denver, CO. The program will include a multitude of educational offerings, spanning content from the bedside to the boardroom. There are networking opportunities, and the vendors offer direct access to external resources. Calling STN, your professional home, grants you a discounted membership conference rate!

A membership to STN also includes a subscription to the bimonthly Journal of Trauma Nursing, which offers free nursing continuing professional development credits (formerly continuing nursing education) for every issue. Membership provides you with representation in key trauma organizations such as EAST and the American College of Surgeons. The online community offers real-time dialogue posting for questions/answers from the membership at large. The enhanced Mentor Match process can offer you one-on-one support from a seasoned peer. Committees and special interest groups meet regularly to advance the STN strategic plan. All the benefits are available on the STN website: www.traumanurse.org, including an exclusive Members Only section with additional resources.

While the tangible benefits of belonging to STN are valuable, it is the intangible sense of belonging to an organization of colleagues who are dedicated to excellence and committed to optimal outcomes that makes membership worthwhile. It is that sense of belonging, for me, that sets STN apart from other organizations. When I think of my STN home, I think of familiar faces, memories, and moments that have imprinted on my life. I hope you do, too; I am committed to ensuring that every trauma nurse who engages with STN, its members, volunteers, and staff, experiences that same sense of belonging—the kind of warmth and inclusion that says, “Welcome Home.”

Throughout the past few years, change and turbulence in health care have stirred in many of us a longing for a familiar home. Leaning on the commonality and community within our professional home, STN can unite us, comfort us, and provide a sense of security and family that we need. To current members, I ask you to extend membership invitations to colleagues. To all potential new members, I cannot wait to meet you and welcome you home!

Society of Trauma Nurses. (2022). Mission & Vision. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.traumanurses.org/about/mission-vision Staples S. (2009). Are you a nursing professional? Nurse Together. Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://www.nursetogether.com/are-you-a-nursing-professional The Welding Institute. (n.d.). What is professional membership of professional bodies? Retrieved July 3, 2022, from https://theweldinginstitute.com/What-is-Professional-Membership-of-Professional-Bodies/Institutions-FAQ Vidor K., Fleming V., Cukor G., Thorpe R., Taurog N., LeRoy M. (1939). The Wizard of Oz [Film]. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).