In
the Circle: Chapters Exemplify AACN
President's Theme
Editor's
note: Part of AACN's Circle of Excellence
recognition program, the President's Award
is presented each year to the chapter or
chapters that best exemplify the annual
theme of the president of AACN. The theme of
2001-02 President Michael L. Williams, RN,
MSN, CCRN, was �A Journey of Rediscovery:
Looking In and Reaching Out.� Following are
excerpts from the exemplars submitted by the
Northern New Jersey Chapter, which received
the award for 2002, and the Greater Akron
Chapter, which received an honorable
mention. Nominations for the 2003 award are
due March 1, 2003. The theme of incoming
2002-03 AACN President Connie Barden, RN,
MSN, CCNS, CCRN, is �Bold Voices: Fearless
and Essential.�
Northern
New Jersey Chapter
Highland
Lakes, N.J.
The
invitation by AACN President Michael L.
Williams to join him on a �Journey of
Rediscovery: Looking In and Reaching Out�
was an inspiration to our chapter.
�Looking in�
required a clear definition of the chapter's
strategic plan to provide the chapter
leadership with a framework for the planning
and implementation of activities throughout
the year. AACN's mission, vision, values and
ethic of care provide the foundation to
build our programs and activities. We looked
in to determine how to best utilize these
resources to serve the needs of critical
care and acute care professionals at the
local level.
As we
embarked on our journey, we focused on what
�reaching out� meant in relation to
providing quality educational programs and
enhanced communication through our chapter
newsletter, Critical Care Update. It also
meant promoting AACN's programs and
objectives to nurses who care for critically
ill patients outside of the critical care
units. In addition, our proximity to New
York City placed our members in a position
to become actively involved in response to
the Sept. 11, 2001, disaster that shocked
and saddened our nation and many around the
world.
For us, the
journey continues. As we move forward, we
realize that there is no final destination.
We will grow along the way as we rediscover
our colleagues, our association, our chapter
and ourselves. The journey has changed our
chapter as we strive toward making our
optimal contribution to critical care
nursing.
Greater
Akron Area Chapter
Akron,
Ohio
Our journey
began at the 2000 NTI, when we discovered
not only that we could become energized and
have our individual needs met, but also that
many groups and chapters were having the
same experience. Realizing that we hadn't
received communication from the Greater
Akron Area Chapter in a long time, we
wondered what had happened to this chapter.
We knew that a local chapter of AACN could
provide the structure and leadership for
networking, educational programming and
professional growth among critical care
nurses and nursing students. How could we
have an active chapter again? The journey
that started in Orlando, Fla., had now
become a quest in a new direction.
Looking in,
we learned that the GAAC had been active in
the late 1980s, but had disbanded in 1999.
This once vital chapter had somehow lost its
momentum and vision. Now, our journey was
changing us from being individually focused
on adopting the AACN mission, vision and
values to promoting these ideals for others
to embrace.
It was time
to reach out and obtain the guidance needed
to organize our local chapter. Former
chapter leaders, members, the Region 9
chapter adviser and AACN offered support in
working toward chapter renewal. Now, the
chapter has more than 70 members, who
represent nine community hospitals and three
universities. We have developed a chapter
Web site and have active committees.
Our journey
continues as we travel the roads that will
lead us toward developing a strong local
chapter committed to the needs of critical
care nurses and our community. Through our
collaborative efforts of looking in,
partnering with AACN and reaching out, a
rediscovery has occurred in our critical
care nursing community and the energy is
contagious.
What's
on Tap
Arizona
The Greater
Phoenix Area Chapter will present
�Infectious Disease in the New Millennium�
on Oct. 25 at the Ambulatory Care Building
of the Veterans Administration Medical
Center. For more information, contact Debbie
Milillo at (480) 661-8310; e-mail,
dbwiles@worldnet.att.net.
California
The South
Bay Chapter will present �Challenges in
Pediatric Care Settings� on Sept. 20 at the
San Jose Medical Center Auditorium, San
Jose, Calif. For more information, contact
Dawna Hawksworth at (408) 482-2540; e-mail,
dawhaw@pacbell.net.
The San
Francisco Chapter will present �Bridges� on
Oct. 11 in the St. Mary's Cathedral
conference center, San Francisco, Calif. For
more information, contact Julie McCorkle at
(925) 370-7236; e-mail,
jmccorklern@hotmail.com.
Illinois
The
Northwest Chicago Area Chapter will present
�Cardiac Case Studies�Markers and More� on
Oct. 16 at Lutheran General Hospital, Park
Ridge, Ill. For more information, contact
Marilyn Arnold at (630) 833-4824; fax, (630)
993-4232; e-mail,
marnold@emhc.org.
Indiana
The Greater
Evansville Chapter will cosponsor with
Deaconess Hospital a two-day CCRN Review on
Oct. 23 and 24 at Deaconess Hospital,
Evansville. For additional information,
contact Bev Farmer, RN, MSN, CCRN, at (812)
450-2192 or Lynn Smith Schnautz, RN, MSN,
CCRN, CCNS, at (812) 450-7172.
New
Hampshire
The Southern
New Hampshire Chapter will present
�Obstetric Emergencies/Case Studies� on Oct.
18 in Bedford, in conjunction with the
Region 1 fall meeting on Oct. 19. For more
information, call (603) 624-8836.
New York
The New York
City Chapter will present �Challenges 2002�
on Oct. 18 and 19 at the New York Helmsley
Hotel, in conjunction with the Region 2 fall
meeting on Oct. 19. For more information,
contact Kathleen Collins at (212) 620-1900;
e-mail,
info@nycaacn.org.
Pennsylvania
The
Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter will
present its �Trends in Critical Care Nursing
Conference� on October 22 through 25 at the
Adams Mark Hotel, Philadelphia. For more
information, contact the SePA chapter office
at (610) 528-7266; e-mail,
SEPAAACN@aol.com.
Virginia
The
Peninsula Chapter will present �Reflections
on Critical Care� on Sept. 25 through 27 in
at the Radisson Inn Settler's Landing,
Hampton, Va., in conjunction with the Region
4 fall meeting on Sept. 27. For more
information, contact Beryl Keegan at (757)
564-0825; e-mail,
bphelpskeegan@cox.net.
Washington
The Puget
Sound Chapter will present the �Currents�
critical care symposium on Oct. 14 and 15 in
Seattle, Wash., in conjunction with the
Region 18 fall meeting. For more
information, call the voice mail for Chapter
President Patricia Blissitt and the
committee at (206) 340-1275; e-mail,
psc_aacn@hotmail.com, or visit the chapter
Web site at
http://psc_aacn.tripod.com/home.html.
Wisconsin
The South
Central Wisconsin Chapter will cosponsor
�New Directions: Critical Care 2002� with
the University of Wisconsin Hospital
Department of Nursing on Sept. 26 and 27 at
the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union,
Madison. For more information, contact Betty
Bakken at (608) 263-6490; fax, (608)
265-5444; e-mail, r.bakken@hosp.wisc.edu.
Does your
chapter have a program or special event
coming up? Send the information to AACN
News, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656;
fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail,
aacnnews@aacn.org.
Regional Meetings Bring Critical Care Nurses
Together
AACN fall
regional meetings, which are scheduled
throughout the country, offer members and
prospective members a chance to network with
colleagues and learn more about AACN and its
chapters. Although fall regional meetings
are hosted by chapters, they are open to
members who are not chapter members and to
critical care nurses who are interested in
AACN. In some regions, chapters sponsor
educational programs in conjunction with the
meetings. Following is a list of the
remaining meetings that have been scheduled
to date:
Region 1
Oct. 19 in Manchester, N.H., for
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; hosted
by Southern New Hampshire Chapter; contact
Mary-Liz Bilodeau, RN, MS, CCRN, CS,
region1@aacn.org
Region 2
Oct. 19 in New York City for New York;
hosted by New York City Chapter; contact Rey
Rivera, RN, MA, EdM, CCRN, CNAA, ANP,
region2@aacn.org
Region 3 TBA
for Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania;
contact Janice M. Wojcik, RN, CNS, MS, CCRN,
CS,
region3@aacn.org
Region 4
Sept. 27 in Hampton, Va., for Maryland,
Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West
Virginia; hosted by Peninsula Chapter;
contact Nancy Ames, RN, MSN, CCRN,
region4@aacn.org
Region 5
Oct. 25 and 26 in Concord, N.C., for North
Carolina and South Carolina, Northeast
Medical Center; hosted by Piedmont Carolinas
and Foothills chapters; contact Brenda
Hardin-Wike, RN, MSN, CCNS, CCRN, CNS.
region5@aacn.org
Region 6
Sept. 14 for Alabama and Georgia; contact
Kathy Graham, RN, BSN, CCRN,
region6@aacn.org
Region 7
Oct. 5 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for
Florida; hosted by Broward County Chapter;
contact Bonnie Rice, RN, MSN, CCRN, CCNS,
ARNP,
region7@aacn.org
Region 8
Oct. 11 in Grand Rapids, Mich., for
Michigan; hosted by West Michigan Chapter,
contact Beth Hammer, RN, MSN, NP,
region8@aacn.org
Nov. 1 in
Milwaukee, Wis., for Wisconsin; hosted by
Greater Milwaukee Chapter; contact Beth
Hammer, RN, MSN, NP,
region8@aacn.org
Region 9
Sept. 19 in Cleveland, Ohio, for Indiana and
Ohio; hosted by the Lake Erie and Greater
Akron chapters; contact Larraine Yeager, RN,
BSN,
region9@aacn.org
Region 10
Sept. 28 in Joliet, Ill., for Illinois,
hosted by Greater Joliet Area Chapter;
contact Jenny Zaker, RN, MEd,
region 10@aacn.org
Region 11
Oct. 6 and 7 in Nashville, Tenn., for
Kentucky and Tennessee; hosted by Region 11;
contact Jackie Palmer, RN, CEN, DABFN, SANE,
region 11@aacn.org
Region 12
March 6 in Gulfpoint, Minn., for Arkansas,
Louisiana and Mississippi; hosted by Gulf
Coast Magnolia Chapter; contact Tina
Covington, RN, MN, CCRN, CS,
region 12@aacn.org
Region 13
Oct. 12 in Rochester, Minn., for Iowa,
Minnesota and Nebraska; hosted by Rochester
Chapter; contact William Mausser, RN, BSN,
MBA, CCRN,
region13@aacn.org
Region 14
Oct. 18 in St. Louis, Mo., for Kansas and
Missouri; hosted by Greater St. Louis
Chapter; contact Carol Cleek, RN, MSN, CS,
region14@aacn.org
Region 15
Oct. 18 in San Antonio, Texas, for Oklahoma
and Texas; hosted by the San Antonio
Chapter; contact Polly Zahrt, RN, BSN,
region15@aacn.org
Region 16
TBA for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota
and Wyoming; contact Susan A. Nelson, RN,
region16@aacn.org
Region 17
Oct. 12 in Tucson, Ariz., for Arizona,
Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah;
hosted by Southern Arizona Chapter; contact
Barbara Monroe, RN, MS, CCRN,
region17@aacn.org
Region 18
Oct. 13 in Seattle, Wash., for Alaska,
Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington; hosted
by Puget Sound Chapter; contact Dianne Long,
RNC, MN, region18@aacn.org
Region 19
Nov. 2 in Burbank, Calif., for California;
hosted by San Fernando Valley Chapter;
contact Darlene Bradley, RN, MSN, MA, CNS,
CCRN, CEN,
region19@aacn.org
Meet
Your Chapter Advisers
The Chapter
Advisory Team serves as a key support and
communications link between local AACN
chapters and the national office team.
Advisers are volunteers who are familiar
with chapter issues and trends of their
regions of the country, as well as informed
about what is happening at the national
level. They can be supportive to chapters
and chapter leaders in many ways. Below is a
list of current advisers: To leave a message
for your representative, simply dial (800)
394-5995 and enter the extension number of
the voice mail box listed below.
Board Liaisons
Deborah B. Laughon, RN, BSN, MS, DBA,
CCRN
ext.
8918
e-mail, Deborah.Laughon
@aacn.org
Kathleen McCauley
RN,
PhD, CS, FAAN
ext.
8919
e-mail, Kathleen.McCauley
@aacn.org |
Region 1
Mary-Liz C. Bilodeau
RN,
MS, CCRN, CS
ext.
8801
e-mail,
region1@aacn.org
Serving Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island and Vermont |
Region 2
Reynaldo R. Rivera
RN,
MA, EdM, CCRN, CNAA, ANP
ext.
8802
e-mail,
region2@aacn.org
Serving New York |
Region 3
Janice M. Wojcik
RN,
CNS, MS, CCRN, CS
ext.
8803
region3@aacn.org
Serving Delaware,
New
Jersey and Pennsylvania |
Region 4
Nancy Ames
RN,
MSN, CCRN
ext.
8824
e-mail, region4@aacn.org
Serving Washington, D.C.,
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia |
Region 5
Brenda Hardin-Wike
RN,
MSN, CCNS, CCRN, CNS
ext.
8805
e-mail, region5@aacn.org
Serving North Carolina and South
Carolina |
Region 6
Kathy Graham
RN,
BSN, CCRN
ext.
8806
e-mail, region6@aacn.org
Serving Alabama and Georgia |
Region 7
Bonnie Anne Rice
RN,
MSN, CCRN, CCNS, ARNP
ext.
8807
e-mail, region7@aacn.org
Serving Florida |
Region 8
Beth
Hammer
RN,
MSN, NP
ext.
8808
e-mail, region8@aacn.org
Serving Michigan and Wisconsin |
Region 9
Larraine A. Yeager
RN,
BSN
ext.
8809
e-mail, region9@aacn.org
Serving Indiana and Ohio |
Region 10
Jenny Zaker
RN,
MEd
ext.
8810
e-mail, region10@aacn.org
Serving Illinois |
Region 11
Jackie Palmer
RN,
CEN, DABFN, SANE
ext.
8811
e-mail, region11@aacn.org
Serving Kentucky and Tennessee |
Region 12
Elizabeth �Tina� Covington
RN,
MN, CCRN, CS
ext.
8812
e-mail, region12@aacn.org
Serving Arkansas, Louisiana and
Mississippi |
Region 13
William Mausser
RN,
BSN, MBA, CCRN
ext.
8813
e-mail, region13@aacn.org
Serving Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska |
Region 14
Carol Cleek
RN,
MSN, CS
ext.
8814
e-mail, region14@aacn.org
Serving Kansas and Missouri |
Region 15
Polly Zahrt
RN,
BSN
ext.
8815
e-mail, region15@aacn.org
Serving Oklahoma and Texas |
Region 16
Susan A. Nelson
RN
ext.
8908
e-mail, region2@aacn.org
Serving Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota and Wyoming |
Region 17
Barbara Monroe
RN,
MS, CCRN
ext.
8817
e-mail, region17@aacn.org
Serving Arizona, Colorado,
Nevada, New Mexico and Utah |
Region 18
L.
Dianne Long
RNC,
MN
ext.
8818
e-mail, region18@aacn.org
Serving Alaska, Idaho,
Hawaii, Oregon and Washington |
Region 19
Darlene Bradley
RN,
MSN, MA, CNS, CCRN, CEN
ext.
8800
e-mail, region2@aacn.org
Serving California |
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