Circle of Excellence: Greater Portland Chapter

President's Award for Chapters

After returning from NTI last year our chapter — the Greater Portland Chapter of AACN, Portland, Ore. — was eager to incorporate the 2011-2012 association theme of "Together. Stronger. Bolder." into our chapter activities for the upcoming year.

It became our framework for developing programming, planning meetings, transitioning our chapter board and developing our strategic plan.

GPC – Together:

• Pools members from over 15 hospitals.
• Includes the Critical Care Consortium, which provides education for new critical care nurses.
• Coordinated 38th Annual Critical Care Fall Symposium.
• Participates with local transplant bank to educate new critical care nurses.
• Coaches and mentors new board and committee members.
• Delivers quality educational programs.

GPC – Stronger:

• 462 members — more than half are certified
• Financially stable — provides numerous scholarships and our regional chapters’ growth
• Four Beacon units — nine achieved Beacon status; two are 3-time awardees

GPC – Bolder:

• Held first “Leadership Event” highlighting AACN leadership competencies.
• Increasing Web and social media presence.
• Planning our 5th Advanced Preceptor Conference to support preceptors.
• Invited Mary Stahl as a keynote speaker at Annual Critical Care Symposium.
• GPC exemplified how the message that Mary Stahl set forth can be incorporated into a yearlong process.

We are Together. Stronger. Bolder.