AACN News—March 2002

Vol. 19, No. 3, MARCH 2002

Atlanta Area Chapter Ready to Welcome NTI 2002

Host Chapter to Staff Hospitality Booth; Souvenir T-shirts Available

Serving on the board of the Atlanta Area Chapter are (from left, front row) Jackie Kosakowski (pediatric SIG), Michele Quinlan (treasurer), Lynda Liles (secretary-elect), Sue Williams (secretary) and Kathy Graham (past-president and Region 6 Chapter Advisory Team representative) and (from left, back row) Nancy King (president), Shelly Fields-Ryan (hospitality), Kathy Peavy (president-elect), Mary Zellinger (education) and Nanda Lerchbaum-Nwokocha.

Members of the Atlanta Area Chapter of AACN are poised to greet their colleagues from across the country and around the world as they prepare to host AACN�s 2002 National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition, May 4 through 9 in their city.

The chapter�s Hospitality Booth in the NTI Resource Center will be a hub of activity, which will include the sale of souvenir t-shirts. Chapter representatives will also be happy to share information about their city and tips on where to go and what to do. In addition, the booth will serve as the Lost and Found for the conference.

The enthusiasm that the Atlanta chapter has exhibited toward hosting the NTI has spilled over into AACN�s annual Member-Get-a-Member recruitment campaign. In fact, as of the end of January 2002, the chapter was leading the Critical Links campaign after recruiting 59 new members. (See page 9.)

The chapters that recruit the most new members by the end of the campaign on April 1, 2002, will receive a $250 gift certificate toward the purchase of AACN resources and be recognized at the NTI.

Network Event Designed to Increase Awareness of AACN

AACN President Michael Williams reviews critical care nursing opportunities with Pam Bowser.

By Maggie Carriker, RN, MSN
Region 8 Representative, Chapter Advisory Team

After identifying a need to increase awareness of the value of AACN membership, the West Michigan Chapter of AACN organized its first Network Night event in November 2001.

Planned around an informal open house setting, the Network Night gave area critical care nurses the opportunity to meet and network with their colleagues and to discover what AACN could do for them. The evening was sponsored by a grant from the law firm of Halpert, Weston, Wuori & Sawusch, P.C., of Kalamazoo, Mich., where Bonnie W. Sawusch, RN, JD, a former critical care nurse, encouraged support for the ongoing growth and development of nursing, particularly in critical care.

AACN President Michael Williams, RN, MSN, CCRN, was the guest speaker. He met with approximately 40 critical care nurses and nursing students to discuss the resources AACN offers and the benefits of membership, such as publications and discounts on programs and products.

In addition to the networking activities, door prizes were awarded throughout the evening. These prizes ranged from retail and restaurant gift certificates to five complimentary, one-year AACN members and two $450 scholarships to attend AACN�s National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition, May 4 through 9, 2002, in Atlanta, Ga.

The West Michigan Chapter plans to make the Network Night an annual event as a way to promote critical care nursing and the value of professional associations.

What's on Tap

Arizona
The Greater Phoenix Area Chapter will present �CCRN Exam Cram� on April 18 and 19, 2002, in Phoenix. For more information, contact Debbie Milillo, RN, BSN, MSc, at (480) 661-8310 or Faye Dodd, RN, at dogimomi@earthlink.net.

Florida
The Greater Miami Area Chapter will present its Miami Teaching Institute on March 22, 2002, at South Miami Hospital. For more information, e-mail miamiRN@aol.com.

The Brevard Chapter will present a CCRN review on April 27 and 28, 2003, at Cape Canaveral Hospital, Cocoa Beach, Fla. For more information, contact Mary Hillberg at (321) 453-0220. For a registration form, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to BCAACN, 3780 Sierra Drive, Merritt Island, FL 32953.

Illinois
The Greater Chicago Area Chapter will present �Pancreatitis Update� on April 9, 2002, in Chicago, Ill. For more information, contact Lori Marcantonio at (847) 854-8358; e-mail, gcac_aacn@yahoo.com.

The Chicago West Suburban Chapter will present �Critical Connections V� on April 13, 2002, at the Four Pointes Sheraton Hotel, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. For more information, call Kim Greg at (630) 968-5748 or e-mail Linda Morris at lmorris@ahss.org.

The Northwest Chicago Chapter will present �Chapter Case Study Chatter Evening� on April 17, 2002. For more information, contact Marilyn Arnold at (630) 833-4824; e-mail, marnold@emhc.org.

Indiana
The Greater Evansville Chapter will present its 10th annual �Critical Care Challenge� on April 11, 2002, at St. Mary�s Manor. For more information, contact Lynn Schnautz at (812) 450-7172, Kathy Burton at (800) 852-7279, ext. 0329, or Marlena Thweatt at (270) 521-6033.

Iowa
The Eastern Iowa Chapter, in partnership with Eli Lilly Company and Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceutical, will present �Critical Care: Controversies & Cutting Edge� on April 26, 2002, in Williamsburg, Iowa. For more information, e-mail William Mausser, RN, MBA, CCRN, at wmausser@aol.com or Michelle M. Jonas, RN, MA, CCRN, at jonasmm@crstlukes.com.

Massachusetts
Region 1 chapters will present �Horizons 2002� on April 3 through 5, 2002, in Boston, Mass. For more information, e-mail Donna Proulx at webmaster@horizons2002.org.

Missouri
The Southeast Missouri Chapter will present �CCRN Cram Review� on March 19 and 20, 2002, at Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Mo. For more information, call (573) 339-0551; e-mail moxleys4@midwest.net.

New Jersey
The Northern New Jersey Chapter will present �Options in Critical Care Nursing 2002� on April 11 and 12, 2002, in Fairfield, N.J. For more information, contact Janice Wojcik at (973) 905-7205; e-mail, janice.wojcik@gte.net.

New York
The Greater Rochester Area Finger Lakes Chapter will present �Linkages� on March 18, 2002, at Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, N.Y. For more information, contact Lori Kennedy at (585) 225-7485; e-mail, GRAFLAACN@aol.com.

North Dakota
The North Valley Chapter will present �Management of the Cardiac Patient� on April 27, 2002, at the University of North Dakota Memorial Union, Grand Forks, N.D. For more information, contact JoEllen Cariveau at (701) 780-5576; e-mail, bomann123@msn.com.

South Carolina
The SC Mid-State Chapter will present �Enhancing Your Critical Care Skills� on April 3, 2002. For more information, contact Cindy Grooms at (803) 957-9145; e-mail, hgrooms1@sc.rr.com.

Texas
The Dallas County Chapter will present a CCRN review course on April 4 and 5, 2002, at Baylor University Medical Center. For more information, contact Darlene Legge at (214) 820-3680; e-mail, darlenel@bhcs.com.

The Houston-Gulf Coast Chapter will present an advanced pulmonary seminar titled �Got Oxygen?� on April 10, 2002, at St. Luke�s Episcopal Hospital, Houston, Texas. For more information, call (832) 355-6090; e-mail, lcole@sleh.com.

Virginia
The Blue Ridge Chapter will present its annual spring conference, �Nursing Excellence 2002,� on April 9, 2002, at the Holiday Inn, Tanglewood, in Roanoke, Va. For more
information, contact Donna Bond at (540) 981-7133; e-mail, DCBond@Carilion.com

AACN News—March 2002—Chapters

Vol. 19, No. 3, MARCH 2002