ASGNA
Spring
2009 NEWSLETTER
"WHAT’S THE SCOPE"
President’s Message
This has been an exciting spring for ASGNA and our goal of Colon Cancer prevention and education. The board and membership have attended a variety of community education opportunities. These included Relay for Life in Gilbert and Mesa, the Crohns and Colitis walk in Glendale, Save our Parents programs at both ASU and U of A, and a booth at the Women’s Expo in Glendale. I want to personally thank everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to help with these very worthy programs, but especially the colon cancer liaison committee chaired by Sue Kendrick and assisted by Margaret Young and Chandra Dillow for their outstanding leadership.
Linda Dupree MSN, CGRN
Membership
The board has been busy with activities to benefit the membership. Mary Bondank, the membership chair, has been welcoming new members into the organization. Our total membership stands at 153 as of today. The Board made the desision to design and purshase new ASGNA membership pins. These have been distributed to to all of the new members through the welcoming package. We will be distributing the pins at the educational meetings throughout the year to all the members.
Education
Education
offerings are available locally. Please make an effort to attend. Remember that members
attend the quarterly educational meeting free of charge; non-members will be charged $10
per contact hour. We cannot accept credit cards, so please bring cash or a check, and
don’t forget your membership card as proof of membership. You can print off a new
card through the SGNA web site.
The hospitality committee, Carol Kirkby and Karen Connick, and Education committees, Patty
Clark and Cathy Yows, are busy making arrangements for the fall conference. I am excited
about agenda and activities. For more information see this newsletter and the web site,
additional information will posted as it becomes available.
Your 2009 Board
I
would like to express a special thank you for Karen Connick who served as the ASGNA
delegate to the House of Delegates and mentor to Sue Kendrick at Nationals in St. Louis.
Karen graciously agreed to fill in for me while I was busy with family commitments. Their
report from the conference is located elsewhere in this newsletter. The board is always
interested in your input. Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments
regarding the activities of ASGNA. We are here for you. Also, it is not too early to start
thinking about how you can be involved. Cheryl Phillips is accepting nominations for the
open positions on the board and we are always willing to accept the assistance of anyone
on the multiple committees.
Have a great summer. We look forward to seeing you at the educational meeting at Mayo
Hospital on Tuesday June 9th.
Linda Dupree MSN, CGRN
ASGNA 2009 President
ASGNA GI Nurse of the Year
- 2009 -
Cheryl Phillips
Plaque and gift presented by Linda Dupree
Education June 9-Tuesday Evening
Dr. G Anton Decker
Mayo Clinic Hospital: 5777 East Mayo Blvd,
Crossroads: 56TH Street and Mayo Blvd.
630pm Dinner, 700pm Presentation : 1 contact hour
Remember: $10.00 fee for Contact Hour for non-members
RSVP:
Patty Clark: patricia.f.clark@mayo.edu
(480) 342-2458
Cathy Yows: yows.catherine@mayo.edu
(480) 301-8402
Future Events
| 6/09/09 | Tuesday Education Presentation dinner at 630p, Presentation 7pm |
| 8/09 | Saturday, half-day education offering in Tucson |
| 10/17/09 | ASGNA Fall Conference at Glendale Civic Center |
Membership Benefits
Starting in June 09, non-members will be required to pay $10.00 per contact hour for education offerings (cash only). Education will continue to be free to SGNA members. Members should bring their SGNA membership card to the meetings. Membership cards can be printed from the SGNA web site. Evening meetings are 1 contact hour. Half-day, Saturday meetings are 2-3 contact hours. Above statement does not apply to the Annual Fall Conference nor any meeting before June 09.
Report from Nationals
The
36th Annual SGNA National Conference was held in St. Louis, Missouri on May
15-20th. Over 1200 attended the course, with approximately 10 from Arizona. At
present, SGNA has over 8000 active members!
Karen Connick and I attended the House of Delegates on Friday, May 15. Fifty-three
regionals were chartered – with two being new regionals. Eight of the ten resolutions
that were proposed were defeated. The two that passed are as follows:
#2: SGNA will develop criteria to establish initial competency and on-going
competency requirements including a live training course, competency certification for
nurses in the extended role of RN PEG tube assistant.
#9: SGNA should offer financial assistance in the form of a scholarship for associates/tech to obtain (attend?) the Associates Program.
Karen and I sat on a panel discussion for New Regional vs. Old Regional Societies. We liked several ideas that were shared: one region has their board members give out different colored tickets to members at their annual conference as they talk to them about joining the board or hosting an educational meeting. When the members get all the colored tickets, they are entered into a drawing for a VISA card. Another region uses a point system with its members. Again, points are given to members for hosting educational meetings, joining the board, community activities, etc.
On Saturday, May 16, tours of St. Louis were offered, if you were not attending the optional courses. Of course, I did the Budweiser Brewery and Ted Drewes Ice Cream Tour (yes, I sampled). The ABCGN Certification test took place on Saturday, as well – it was a 50/50 split for taking the test online at different locations or at Nationals. As of this course, 3822 GI nurses are currently certified!
The SGNA Annual Business Meeting took place on Sunday, May 17. The bylaw change sent to the membership was approved. The Gastroenterology Journal now has over 10,000 subscriptions!
The Vendors Exhibit was smaller this year and we certainly noticed less free items to haul home. This year the course syllabus was online and you were encouraged to print the classes that you were attending prior to coming. Each attendee also received the syllabus on CD to take back with them. The Learning Link has expanded and a DVD Library has been added to items for sale. Overall, the course was great. The weather was cool and wet. We even had a tornado watch while we were there. And last, but certainly not least, the Arch was beautiful!
Respectfully submitted, Sue Kendrick, President-Elect
Treasurer's Report
| April Income: | $810.00 |
| April Expenses: | $955.67 |
| May Income: | $1,346.90 |
| Balance as of 27 May, 2009 | $11,374.35 |
asgna.org
2009 Newsletter Editor
dsyoung72@cox.net