The Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) annual meeting, in collaboration with the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), was held January 15-19, 2008, on Amelia Island Plantation near Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to conducting a preconference workshop, "ETOH Screening and Brief Intervention," 3 sunrise sessions and a plenary session, "Technology in Trauma Care," were held. The STN\EAST conference planning committee did a wonderful job and we look forward to future EAST\STN conferences.
ANNUAL MEETING
The conference is scheduled for April 9-11, 2008, in New Orleans, It is still possible to register to attend, Please visit the STN Web site http://www.traumanurse.org for more information.
NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The election of new board members occurred at the end of 2007. Deborah Harkins, MBA, RN CCRN, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the new president-elect, Susan Cox, RN, MSN, CEN, from San Diego, California, was elected as treasurer, and will server a 2-year term, 2008-2009. Three new and one returning, at-large, Board of Directors were elected Karen Doyle, RN, MS, MBA, from Catonsville, Maryland, and Melissa A. Twomey, RN, MS, from Bedford, New Hampshire, will each serve as a director at large for a 2-year term, 2008-2009. Janet Cortez RN, MSN, from Salt Lake City, Utah, was elected to fill the final year of the director at large position being vacated by Sue Cox. Jacqueline McQuay, RN, BSN, MS, from Hartford, Connecticut, was elected to her second term as a director at large, and will serve until 2009, we also welcome Amy Koestner to her position as president. Marla Vanore, our president from 2006 to 2007, now serves as immediate past-president. On behalf of the Board of Directors and all STN members we thank Marla for her wonderful leadership over the last 2 years. The STN continues to grow and expand, thanks to the leadership and members.
NEW STATE CHAIRS
As we start the New Year, we also welcome a number of new state chairs, Stacie Lee in North Carolina, Holly Waller in Alabama, Yvonne Michaud in Massachusetts, and Sherry Lauer in Ohio. State chairs are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve a term of 2 years.
The role of state chair is a pivotal one for the STN. The STN is an international group, but all trauma care, like politics, are local, and STN state chairs are the local "face "of STN.The leadership of the STN is supported by more than 40 state and region chairs, which are instrumental in bringing the STN home to the membership. Beginning with this issue, we will be profiling state chairs from around the country. In this issue we are highlighting the Maryland State Chair, Kathy Noll, MSN. Kathy has been the Trauma Program Manager for the Adult Trauma Service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, since January 2004. She has an extensive background in Trauma/Critical Care with over 20 years' experience in direct clinical care of trauma patients, and has held numerous clinical leadership positions. In addition to her many duties on the Adult Trauma Service, she is currently focusing on the development of a trauma nursing fellowship at Johns Hopkins as part of their Center for Excellence in Emergency Nursing.
Kathy is active with a number of statewide groups focusing on initiates such as quality improvement and injury prevention activities with TraumaNet, Maryland Trauma Research, Education, and Prevention Committee (MTREP), and the Maryland Trauma Quality Improvement Council (QIC). Kathy is also a member of Partnership for a Safer Maryland (PSM), raising awareness of injury prevention programs around the State. She has co-chaired the planning committee for the 2006 inaugural regional trauma symposium sponsored by the Maryland Committee on Trauma, and she has coauthored several trauma research articles on DVT and TBI. In 2005, Kathly was nominated to fill the Maryland Sate chair position. Kathy's involvement with the STN does not end with her role as state chair. She is an active ATCN instructor, and is a member of the STN nominations committee.
I asked Kathy why she joined the STN. What does the STN have to offer her that benefits her in her career as a trauma nurse? This is what she said,
I joined STN when I took the position of Trauma Program Manger for Johns Hopkins Hospital 4 years ago. I wanted to stay abreast of the changes in trauma care, and to be able to utilize that information in designing programs for our nursing staff. STN has so much to offer nurses. Since joining, I have taken the ATCN provider course, and gone on to become an ATCN instructor. As an ATCN instructor, I've netwoked with nurses from all parts of the country, including the military. I have also had the opportunity to attend the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) Scientific Assembly last year, which is cosponsored by STN. While there, I took the Trauma Outcomes & Performance Improvement Course (TOPIC) offered by STN. TOPIC offers customized solutions and tools to meet the needs of individual trauma performance improvement programs, and was valuable in defining the role for our new Trauma PI Coordinator position. STN's trauma listserve is another valuable tool that has enabled me to stay in touch with trauma nurses around the country by sharing ideas and best practices.
As we highlight STN state chairs from around the country. I want to give them, the opportunity to share some of their insights and thoughts on various issues related to trauma and important to nurses. I asked Kathy, if you had the opportunity to speak directly to the president of the United Stated about trauma care in our country, what would you tell him?
Kathy's response was:
Mr. President,
Trauma has been a leading cause of death in the US for decades. Many of us are fortunate to live in states where the system of trauma care is well organized. We have prehospital triage protocols to ensure that patients are sent to the appropriate level of trauma center, inpatient guidelines for resuscitation and stabilization; and a network of trauma specialty care referral centers. Although a number of studies substantiate the value of trauma centers and an organized system of trauma care in improving survival rates, large areas of the country lack access to trauma services. A comprehensive strategy to address these inconsistencies is needed: Even in well-organized trauma systems, difficulties remain with the recruitment and retention of trauma surgeons, high stand-by costs, and inadequate financial reimbursement for trauma care. Legislators need to be educated to these issue that trauma centers face. Increased support for the development and maintenance of trauma centers and trauma systems is needed to ensure their viability for the future.
I appreciate Kathy's willingness to share details about herself why she joined the STN, and what she sees as important issues for the country regarding trauma care. In future, issues of the Journal of Trauma Nursing, we will talk with state chairs from across the country, and learn more about who they are, and what they think. For more information about the state and region chairs, visit the STN Web site at: http://www.traumanurses.org.