This is my first President's message as the baton is passed from Stephen to myself. First, I want to thank Stephen Patten, MSN, RN, CNS, for his leadership of the NACNS Board of Directors this past year. Second, I am happy to announce another successful annual conference. This was the second year that a new format was utilized for the conference, and we continue to grow. This year's theme, Optimizing Outcomes-Influencing Across the Spheres, highlighted the innovative ways that CNS practice and education are being conceptualized in everyday practice. I personally feel that the annual conference is a "coming home" to our roots as CNSs. In this conference also, we were very fortunate to have Janet Fulton, PhD, RN, FAAN, presented on the history of clinical nurse specialists. It is very important for us to know our history and past so that we can build upon it to grow for the future.
As I sat down to write my first President's message, I read what the other leaders of NACNS wrote as their first messages. Past Presidents have mentioned transparency, honesty, and excellence, which are attributes that I value as well. I am a very passionate about nursing and clinical nurse specialists. I have been truly blessed with many excellent mentors in my professional career. These mentors empowered me to excel as a nursing professional. I received my master of science in nursing as critical care clinical nurse specialist from Purdue University Calumet. I have held positions in my professional career including faculty, critical care clinical nurse specialist, and administration. I have held positions on several different nursing associations/organizations boards.
I know, as an association this coming year, we will continue to meet challenges, but with perseverance, we will rise to these challenges. We also need to acknowledge and share our accomplishments as CNSs both as individuals and as an association. We need to continue to let others outside nursing know our value in quality, patient safety, and patient outcomes.
Looking ahead for this next year in my new role as President, I have very big shoes to fill of all of our past Presidents. It is their passion for clinical nurse specialists that they led this association with, and I will continue to lead with this very same passion. I reflected back to a few months ago when Melinda Ray, MSN, RN, executive director, and I attended the Nursing Organizations Alliance Fall Summit meeting on behalf of NACNS, One of the presentations still resonates with me today. Mary Byers, CAE, coauthor of The Race to Relevance-Five Radical Changes for Associations, presented some of the concepts and questions that organizations need to look at in order to survive in today's world. I am happy to say, I walked away feeling that as an association we are headed in the right direction with our strategic plan, mission, and vision. This past year, the Board of Directors has dedicated much time and energy in revising our strategic plan. This revision was done with the input of past leaders and current members of NACNS. As members of the Board of Directors, we looked to where we need to be in years to come as well as at the current issues that CNSs are facing today. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your next NACNS President.
Coerver H and Byers M. Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations. 2011.
NACNS 2012 CONFERENCE
The 2012 National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists' conference, "Optimizing Outcomes: Influencing Across the Spheres," was held in Chicago on March 8 to 10 at the Fairmont Chicago at Millennium Park. The conference planning committee, composed of Rachel Moody, Les Rodriguez, Anne Muller, Sharon Horner, and Helen Taggart, used feedback from 2011 conference attendees to improve the 2012 conference design. The pharmacology postconference was expanded from the 4-hour session offered in 2011 to a 5-hour session in 2012 to better meet the pharmacology continuing education requirements for those members who have prescriptive authority. There was an 18% increase in the number of papers presented due to a record number of abstracts submitted this year. A separate student poster session was held on Thursday, March 8, in conjunction with the opening reception to allow attendees to focus on the students' work. Perhaps the most important aspect of the conference was the time for attendees to network with colleagues. We look forward to seeing you at the 2013 conference that will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
NEWS FROM OUR AFFILIATES
California Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Marlene Nadler-Moodie, MSN, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, was inducted as president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is the largest psychiatric nursing organization, now reaching close to 7500 members.
Elizabeth Scruth, MN, MPH, RN, CCNS, CCRN, coauthored an article with L. Worrall-Carter, PhD, RN; C. Ski, PhD; E. M. Campbell, PhD, RN; and K. Page, PhD, RN, her professors from the Australian Catholic University where she is completing her PhD. The article is entitled "A Systematic Review of Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Assessing the Risk" and has been accepted for publication in the December 2011 issue of Nursing and Health Sciences. She has a second article with M. Campbell, PhD, RN; L. Worrall-Carter, PhD, RN; E. Cheng, MD; and K. Page, PhD, RN, entitled "Risk Determination After an Acute Myocardial Infarction: Review of Three Clinical Risk Prediction Tools," which has also been accepted for publications by the Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Jackie Close, gerontology CNS at Palomar Pomerado Health in San Diego, successfully defended her PhD proposal and has been admitted to doctoral candidacy at the University of San Diego. Jackie was inducted as a fellow in the National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA) at the annual conference in October 2011. Jackie is president of the San Diego chapter of NGNA and won the NGNA Advanced Practice Registered Nurse of the Year Award last year.
Yvonne Dobbenga-Rhodes, MS, RNC-OB, CNS, CNS-BC, currently Maternal-Child Health Clinical Nurse Specialist at Washington Hospital in Freemont, California, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Her 2-year term is effective January 1, 2012. An Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses member since 1989, Ms Dobbenga-Rhodes will serve as the director representing Region I.
The Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Freemont, California, was designated a Magnet Organization effective September 2011.
Submitted by: Margaret Talley, PhD, RN, CNS
Montana Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
Montana affiliate member Dr Jean Shreffler-Grant and her research colleagues (Drs Nichols, Weinert, and Ide) received funding from the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health for their study, "Refining and Evaluating the MSU CAM Health Literacy Scale." The goal of the study is to continue development of a valid instrument to evaluate an individual's health literacy about complementary and alternative healthcare.
Charlene Winters presented a keynote address focused on rural nursing theory at the biannual International Rural Nursing and Rural Health Conference in Binghamton, New York. The conference was sponsored by the Rural Nurse Organization and Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University.
The Montana Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is a statewide organization of clinical nurse specialists engaged in practice and nursing education. Members are committed to advancing the CNS role through education, scholarship, and service.
Submitted by: Charlene A. Winters, PhD, ACNS-BC
Veterans Affairs Virtual Affiliate
Elissa Brown, psychiatric clinical nurse specialist at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center, has had a very busy year. She was reelected as vice chair of the American Nurses Association Constituent Assembly in November 2011. In September 2011, Elissa was appointed by the California Action Coalition as 1 of the 2 coleaders for the Los Angeles Region. Elissa served on the Veterans Affairs National Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Conference Planning Committee that was held in Chicago in August 2011 and made 2 presentations on Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Councils at the conference. In addition, Elissa Brown was reappointed to the National Nursing Ethics Conference Planning Committee. The next National Nursing Ethics Conference is scheduled in 2013 and will be held in a city located on the east coast.
Charlene Demers, geriatric clinical nurse specialist at the Orlando, Florida, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was awarded the 2011 Excellence in Clinical Practice Award by the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association.
Submitted by: Kathleen L. Dunn, MS, RN, CRRN, CNS-BC
Members News
Lukmon Kalejaiye, a member of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists Practice Committee, received the Nurses Association of Counties of Long Island Excellence in Nursing Award. The award was presented on November 10, 2011, at a dinner that also included US Senator Charles Schumer, New York state Senator John L. Sampson, and Assemblyman Nick Perry among the distinguished attendees.
CNS Foundation News
The CNS Foundation Board of Trustees is composed of 10 individuals, 6 of whom are NACNS members at large, 3 of whom are from the community, and one who is a member of the NACNS Board of Directors. Winifred "Windy" Carson-Smith, Esq, is the newest member of the Board, having joined in October 2011. Windy is known to many NACNS members from her past position as Nursing Practice Counsel for the American Nurses Association and more recently as consultant to the NACNS Board of Directors. She joins 2 other community members of the Board; Daniel Ryan, CPA, Cr.FA, DABFA, is chief executive officer/chief fiscal officer of Information Network Associates, an accounting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and David Griffiths, MBA, is vice president of Marketing and Risk Management for Aon's Healthcare Division located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Aon is the parent company of Nurses Services Organization. These community members contribute a valuable perspective to the work of the Board from business, industry, and other nonnursing occupations.
The CNS Foundation provides scholarships for students enrolled in master's, PhD, and DNP programs. The Foundation also offers Filipovich scholarships to support research projects related to CNS outcomes and to support CNS health policy activities. CNS students and CNSs who are not students are encouraged to apply for these funds.
Our congratulations go out to all of the CNS Foundation 2012 scholarship winners:
* Julie Sabo, a PhD student at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, who received the Jan Bingle scholarship, named in honor of the Foundation's first chair.
* Collins Ozuegbu, a CNS master's student at Wright State University, who received the Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins scholarship. This scholarship is made possible through the generosity of the long-time publisher of CNS, The Journal for Advanced Practice Nursing.
* Theresa Riedle, a CNS master's student at Regis College, who received the Katie Brush Memorial scholarship. This scholarship honors the life and nursing excellence of critical care CNS Katie Brush.
Through the generous support of Nurses Service Organization, the Foundation awarded scholarships for excellent student poster presentations at the 2012 NACNS annual conference held in Chicago. For more information about these and all the Foundation's scholarships, please see the Foundation's Web site CNS-Foundation.org.
CALL FOR NEWS ITEMS
If you have information you want to share about yourself, your NACNS, or affiliate peers, please send the news item to Ethan Gray at [email protected]. News items for the 2012 July/August issue are due by April 27, 2012.