As my presidential term comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the past year and share with you some of the Society's accomplishments.
Although nursing organizations have many commonalities, the American Society of Plastic Surgical Nurses (ASPSN) is unique in its relationship with physician counterparts in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Over the years, members from both organizations have expressed an interest in finding ways to bring the societies together by developing closer, more collaborative, and professionally equal associations. To this end, ASPSN worked with ASPS to establish "ASPSN Corner," a column that appears in ASPS' monthly publication "Plastic Surgery News" ("PSN"). One PSN article that appeared in 2006 was a co-presidents' message written by Dr. Bruce Cunningham and me on the importance of collaboration. Another was an educational article on the benefits of having a board-certified plastic surgical nurse (CPSN) in every plastic surgical practice co-written by Claudette Heddens, 2006 president of Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB), and me. Tracey Hotta, 2006 immediate past president, published a two-part article "From Health Assessment to Post Op, the Plastic Surgical Nurse Can Lead the Way." Most recently, Pamala Silvers, 2007 president, published an article on the nurse's role in office accreditation. These articles were well received and we look forward to our continued presence in "PSN". If you have an idea for a column/article or would like to write one yourself, please contact the National Office.
In addition to publishing articles, ASPSN has worked to develop several promotional pieces encouraging ASPS members to have their nurses join ASPSN, become certified, and attend the various ASPSN educational meetings offered throughout the year. The response from physicians to these promotional pieces has been positive, but we still have a long way to go.
Establishing a link between the ASPS/PSEF Research foundation and ASPSN will allow the groups to combine resources and collaborate on research projects aimed at improving patient outcomes, satisfaction, safety, and practice management issues. We have already begun dialogue in this regard, and information will be sent to members as the process moves forward.
As president of ASPSN, I was invited to attend the ASPS summit meeting held in Chicago this past July. I was extremely impressed with the content of the meeting and was able to identify additional ways in which the two organizations could collaborate. Although it is too early to outline these programs or ASPSN's possible involvement, ASPS was very receptive to suggestions, and we plan to continue our dialogue under the direction of 2007 President Pamala Silvers. During the summit, there was much discussion regarding the state of ASPS and its future directions. I was very pleased to hear various physicians ask about "the nurses." What about "the nurses" on XXX? Should we get together with "the nurses" on XXX? Perhaps "the nurses" could support us on XXX legislative issue? Do you think "the nurses" would be interested in XXX? What pleased me most was that most of the physicians in attendance were not aware that I was a nurse; therefore, these were not questions asked solely for my benefit, but for the betterment of ASPS. This interest solidified my belief that collaboration is in the best interest of both organizations. After such discussions, I would introduce myself to the physician and together we would identify further avenues in which the two organizations could collaborate.
During the summit, I was asked to participate in a videotaped interview celebrating ASPS's 75th anniversary. A portion of this media piece was aired during the ASPS opening ceremonies in San Francisco. Earlier in the year, I also had an opportunity to participate in an educational audio, "Plasty Pod," piece that aired on the ASPS Web site. We have made great strides in furthering our partnership with ASPS, but much work remains. ASPSN will continue to work with our physician counterparts on mutually beneficial programs and partnerships.
In addition to working with ASPS, ASPSN has been working to increase ASPSN's visibility among nurses. It amazes me that in the year 2006 we continue to have nurses working in the plastic surgery arena who do not know about ASPSN or the benefits of belonging to such an organization. Our newly revised membership brochure and other promotional materials seek to educate these nurses and entice them to give ASPSN a try.
During the past year, I have had numerous conversations with physician assistants (PA) regarding the various educational offerings supported by ASPSN. Many of these discussions reflected a lack of educational opportunities for PAs. Time and again, I was told that PAs thought they would be better served by attending the nurses' meetings because information offered through other educational avenues was often above their knowledge level and scope of practice. The problem, however, is that ASPSN does not offer Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. After lengthy discussion, the board determined that this was a need that ASPSN could possibly fill. The board is currently investigating the possibility of providing CME credits for educational offerings supported by ASPSN.
ASPSN continues to move forward on projects such as the Core Curriculum and the CDROM review course as we diligently work to complete these projects without sacrificing quality or accuracy. Information will continue to be given as it is made available.
Although one should not judge a book by its cover, I assure you potential members have judged ASPSN by its Web site, which up to now was less than efficient. The Informatics Committee, made up of Sue Kunz and Pat Terrell, has worked closely with the board and staff to completely redesign ASPSN's Web site. This site is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. If you have not visited ASPSN's Web site lately, I urge you to do so. You can be assured that visitors to http://www.aspsn.org will be impressed by the site. Feel free to contact Sue, Pat, or the National Office if you encounter any issues. Happy surfing.
ASPSN continues to work with various organizations on legislative endorsements regarding health policy and patient safety. Kathleen Dunleavy, Government Relations Committee Chair, and the Government Relations Committee are monitoring legislation and will keep the ASPSN board informed of important matters affecting our patient population. ASPSN's support of Title VIII, The Nursing Shortage Relief Act, will continue as organizations all over the country try to combat the nursing shortage plaguing this country.
I love it when a plan comes together, and that is how I felt during ASPSN's 32nd Annual Convention, held October 6-12 in San Francisco. Kudos go to this year's Scientific Sessions Committee chaired by Pat Terrell. The committee did a phenomenal job organizing the convention and soliciting high- quality, knowledgeable speakers. The hotel-the historic Palace Hotel-was eloquent, luxurious, extremely comfortable, and best of all, located in the heart of everything. Throughout the convention, attendees stopped members of the committee, board, and staff to compliment us on the quality and professionalism of the program. "This is the best convention I've been to in years," was a repeated statement from long-time attendees. First-time attendees were overwhelmed by all the convention had to offer. From the convention's opening day to the closing session, attendees found a full complement of workshops, general and concurrent sessions, current issues, trends, and secrets of plastic surgical nursing practice. Indeed this was the convention to "Ignite your Passion".
In addition to the wide selection of speakers and session topics, ASPSN networking events were fun as well as beneficial. The dinner cruise was a huge success. This sold-out event elicited many compliments from those lucky enough to obtain a ticket for our "all aboard" evening of food and fun. Also new to this year's convention program were two lecture events-a lunch symposium and a dinner symposium-sponsored by Mentor and U.S. Micron, respectively. The Scientific Sessions Committee has been busy evaluating each and every session/speaker for overall quality, effectiveness, and response from attendees. I hope every attendee returned the session and program evaluation forms as these will be used by the committee and staff to plan next year's program. If you were unable to attend the convention but have suggestions and ideas for the 2007 convention, please send your comments to the committee through the National Office. Planning is already underway for the 2007 convention scheduled for October 27-31, 2007, in Baltimore, MD, and member input is an important part of the process.
As you can see, it has been a busy year for ASPSN. We continue to move forward, watching our finances but ensuring that member services are the number one priority. I cannot tell you how thoroughly I enjoyed serving as your president. I had a wonderfully supportive board and learned much while helping ASPSN through the initial transition to a new management company: Dancy, Puetz & Associates. ASPSN's board and staff continue to work through the transition process to ensure member satisfaction and mutual prosperity. I started my presidency with the story of stone soup, illustrating that although a contribution may be small, every contribution makes a difference. I believe we do not have a choice about making a difference since every decision we make or do not make is really a choice. I believe every choice whether active or passive will affect our lives in some way. To me, the only real choice we have is what kind of difference we want to make. I thank everyone for the contributions made to ASPSN during my term as president, and I would like to end my presidency by saying: the soup's on, and we have plenty; why not join me in a cup?
Again, it has been my sincere honor to serve as the 2006 president, and I look forward to making many pots of delicious steaming hot soup together.