As I sit down to write this, my first president's message, I am overwhelmed and humbled by the entire experience of serving as your president. I know that when I read my predecessors' first presidents' messages I wanted them to let me know what type of person we had elected. It can be difficult to become acquainted with who I am and what I hold as important attributes in a short message like this one, but I will give it my best shot. To tell you a little bit about me as a person: First, I am a grandfather of four, that should tell you something about my age and that I place a lot of importance on family. As a grandfather, I try to impart important values to my grandchildren. One way I do this is by using a very educational grandparent-type game/activity, Virtue Project International Cards.¹ Each card has a virtue listed; it gives the definition of the virtue and an example of how you would display this virtue. Everyone who is playing picks a card; the first player reads the card aloud. The player then must state how he/she exhibits this virtue. Next comes the hard part. You then pick another player and tell him/her how you see him/her live this virtue. Now here is the interesting twist: I will now attempt to play this game with you, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) members. I know I am cheating by picking the cards I want to address and you do not get a turn, but those are the limitations we are stuck with. This may seem like "cheating," and that is certainly a bad way to start a virtues game, but I am trying to be honest.

Honesty is a good virtue to start with. The Virtues Project says honesty is "being sincere, open, trustworthy, and truthful."¹ As president, I will practice honesty by being open with the membership regarding the actions of the board on behalf of NACNS. Over the last year, the board has worked to be open and transparent with the membership regarding the actions and directions taken by the board and the organization. I will continue this practice and try to improve the implementation of this practice. I would like to see the NACNS members also being open and communicating their concerns and wishes to the board. I feel that with open communications and transparent actions between the membership and the president, honesty will be a virtue that will be seen, felt, and experienced by all.

Excellence is another virtue that I feel is important for me to exhibit as president of this great organization. The Virtues Project says, "Excellence is giving your best[horizontal ellipsis]"¹; it also says "Excellence is effort guided by a noble purpose."¹ NACNS has a noble purpose, and I promise that I will give you the members and NACNS the organization my best effort. The mission of NACNS is: "The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS), founded in 1995, exists to enhance and promote the unique, high value contribution of the clinical nurse specialist to the health and well-being of individuals, families, groups, and communities, and to promote and advance the practice of nursing."² This is a very noble mission and one we all can be proud of. I will do my best to enhance and promote the contributions of clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). I see every day CNSs doing their best as CNSs. When I think of CNSs, the first attribute that comes to mind is excellence. Together, excellence will be a virtue seen, felt, and experienced by all.

Reliability is the last virtue I would like to address in this first president's message. The Virtues Project says, "Reliability means that others can depend on you."¹ It also says that I will "find another way if obstacles occur."¹ I will be reliable, and you can count on me to find a way around the obstacles or challenges that will face us in the coming year. At times, finding the way around an obstacle requires compromise, but we will be better off in the end because we have moved forward with honesty and excellence for the betterment of the members and NACNS. I know the membership is reliable by being there when NACNS needs your excellent expertise. Reliability will be seen, felt, and experienced by all if we can depend on each other.

I hope this virtues game let you find out a little bit about whom I am and what I think is important as president of NACNS. I feel that I have been given an unbelievable opportunity to be your president, and I want to do the best job possible. I want to practice all my virtues at their highest level possible. I want to honor you the membership and NACNS because you have bestowed this great honor on me.

I look forward to meeting and talking with many of you who will be at the annual conference.

References

1. Virtues Project, Inc. http://www.virtuesproject.com. Accessed December 28, 2010.

2. National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. Mission statement. http://www.nacns.org. Accessed December 28, 2010.

NEWS FROM OUR AFFILIATES

California Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists

The California Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists had a successful turnout at the fall education meeting held on October 23, 2010. The meeting, "Role of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in performance improvement: Using collaborative alliance for nursing outcomes (CALNOC) to ensure best practice," was hosted by Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and was attended by more than 40 participants. The keynote speaker was Mary Foley, PhD, MS, RN, director of Education Services, CALNOC. Other speakers included Paddy Garvin-Higgins, MN, RN, CRRN, CNS, and Evelyn McLaughlin, MSN, RN, CNS, WCC, who provided specific examples of CNS role involvement in performance improvement measures.

Submitted by Margaret Talley, PhD, RN, CWCN-AP

Montana Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists

The Montana Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is celebrating a very productive fourth quarter of 2010. Several members presented at professional conferences. Charlene Winters and Sandra Kuntz reported their findings on research communication and engagement at the 2010 State of Science Congress on Nursing Research in Washington, District of Columbia. Linda Torma presented her research of resilience in older adults living with fibromyalgia in separate poster and podium presentations at the International MYOPAIN Society meeting in Toledo, Spain. The International MYOPAIN Society is a nonprofit organization of health professionals from around the world who are dedicated to the promotion of information about soft-tissue pain disorders such as myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome.

Sandra Kuntz worked with a graduate student (Milissa Grandchamp) and an undergraduate nursing student (Anne Hansen) to deliver 2 podium presentations on their pediatric environmental health research at the 2010 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar, Sandra also participated in the National Summit on Advancing Health through Nursing, the official "kick off" of the Initiative on the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action.

Charlene Winters and her research colleagues had 2 articles recently published related to their research with women with chronic illness: "The Evolution of a Coding Schema in a Paced Program of Research," was published in The Qualitative Report, and "Expressions of Depression in Rural Women With Chronic Illness," appeared in the Journal of Rural & Remote Health. Members Dorothy "Dale" Mayer, Linda Torma, Jean Shreffler-Grant, Carolyn Mack, and Charlene Winters attended the daylong evidence-based practice workshop in Missoula, Montana, given by Dr Bernadette Melnyk and Dr Fineout-Overholt.

Members will continue to disseminate their work in early 2011. Pat Fitzpatrick was selected to present, "The Naval Hospital Jacksonville Flu Clinic," at the 2011 Armed Forces Public Health Conference. The presentation details the out-of-hospital experiences conducted during the 2009 H1N1 flu season.

Submitted by Charlene A. Winters, PhD, ACNS-BC

Virtual VA Nationwide Clinical Nurse Specialist Group

We want to congratulate Ann Busch, MS, RN, CWOCN, ACNS-BC, CNS-PP, FAAN, for receiving the International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) "2010 Best of Abstracts Award" at the ITNS Symposium and General Assembly, October 28-30, 2010, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for her abstract, "Psychosocial Issues Post Liver Transplant: What's the Evidence?"

Affiliate Contact: Kathleen L. Dunn, MS, RN, CRRN, CNS-BC

NACNS NEWS

Janice M. Buelow, PhD, RN, was elected to the board of the American Epilepsy Society. The American Epilepsy Society is an interdisciplinary organization made up of professionals, including basic scientists, physicians, psychologists, nurses, and socials workers who care for persons with epilepsy. Only 2 board positions are filled each year. Dr Buelow is only the third nurse in the history of the American Epilepsy Society to serve on this board. We want to extend our hearty congratulations to Dr Buelow for this outstanding achievement.

NACNS CONFERENCE UPDATE

We want to thank and recognize the 108 NACNS members who volunteered to review the abstract submissions. The 2011 conference would not be possible without the work of these wonderful NACNS member-volunteers:

Nancy Albert

Ann Always

Dorothy Baker

Cindy Balkstra

Rick Bassett

Alice Lee Benjamin

Melissa Benton

Kristin Bentz

Pat Bielecki

Victoria Bowden

Nancy Bowllan

Melanie Braswell

Catherine Brennan

Deborah Burgoon

Diane Byrum

Kevin Callaway

Kimberly Catania

Joe Clement

Jackie Close

Lola Coke

Patricia Conlon

Anne Cooper

Lori Courtney

Ellen Davis

Laura Dechant

Jovie DeLeon-Luck

Yvonne Dobbenga-Rhodes

Pat Ebright

Jodi English

Sonya Flanders

Kimberly Fowler

Pam George

Denice Gibson

Terri Girt

Cynthia Goldberg

Jill Goring

Bobbe Ann Gray

Katie Green

Earlie Hale

Kimberly Hall

Cathy Hancock

Sherri Harkless

Julie Harris

Sue Heinzman

Tanya Hodges

Melissa Hodges

Linda Hoke

Gail Holtz

Kathleen Hopkins

Sharon Horner

Mary Sue Howlett

Nkechi Ileka

Marquet Johnson

Glenda Joiner-Rogers

Melanie Kalman

Deborah Kesterson

Kim Killinger

Theresa Koetters

Coleen Kumar

Joanne Lamantia

Paula Lusardi

Ann Mayo

Jennifer McCord

Norma McNair

Deborah Messecar

Penny Messner

Jolyn Moeller

Brenda Moffitt

Stephanie Moore

Anne Muller

Margaret Murray

Karen Nave

Priscilla O'Connor

Mary Paciella

Patrice Parrott

Stephen Patton

Angela Phillips-Lowe

Opal Porras

Tracy Riley

Les Rodriquez

Pat Rosier

Anne Russell

Lisa Salamon

Suzanne Savoy

Mary Scanlon

Florence Schaefer

Emily Schmitt

Patrick Schultz

Angela Scott

Laila Sedhom

Sue Sendelbach

Gina Shay-Zapien

Susan Smith

Tara Spears

Julie Stausmire

Elaine Steinke

Helen Taggart

Mary Thomas

Patricia Thornburg

Paul Thurman

Jerithea Tidwell

Gayle Timmerman

Kathryn VonReuden

Stacey Ward

Julie Welsh

Michael Williams

Amy Yeates

Heather Zak

CALL FOR NEWS ITEMS

If you have information you want to share about yourself, your NACNS peers, or your affiliate/affiliate peers, please send the news item to [email protected]. News items for the 2011 July/August issue are due by April 25, 2011.