Best wishes for the New Year. I would like to take this as an opportunity to reflect on the great steps the organization has taken since conference last year. Over the past 6 months with planning and well into this year with implementation, our Board has been involved in a frenzy of activity, which has resulted in making some very tough decisions.
We have planned more of a shift in responsibilities to our management company than ever before. This year, we will have all membership services integrated into a more seamless and user-friendly Web-based system, and we have hired a dedicated Meeting Planner. This has resulted in the off loading of a number of administrative tasks. As a result, at our Fall Board Meeting, we began to take a serious look at the structure of our Board, find ways to better govern the organization, place a greater emphasis on issues related to practice quality and safety, and better serve our members. This has represented a considerable commitment for many of our Board Members and has not been without some growing pains. Although change is not always necessary, when it is, it's almost always difficult and sometimes involves a leap of faith. I am so lucky to have their support in the face of these monumental changes.
It has been a privilege to be a part of the leadership in this organization at this time. There have been great strides in remaining consistent with our mission and vision. I am thrilled to say that we are now partnering with Lippincott Publishing under the leadership of Kimberly McIltrot to move our Journal to a peer-reviewed online publication. We will have an Editor and an Editorial Board, and our Journal will be marketed and available worldwide. This initiative will not only enhance its professional appearance but will also represent a greater focus on evidence-based practice and increase our Journal's and APSNA's visibility and credibility among our peers globally. It is our hope that this will also encourage more of our members and colleagues around the world to choose our Journal when considering writing for publication. Although this will be my last opportunity to submit the President's Letter to our Journal, I have the privilege to be the first to do so in this, our first edition with our new publisher.
We continue to enhance our partnership with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). Last year, under Ellen O'Donnell's leadership, we held our first speaker exchange, and we are now planning to offer our first joint session this year in Boston and again in Phoenix. The focus of that session will be "Transition Challenges in Children With Complex Medical Needs." Under the leadership of our Program Chair Raquel PasarAEn, this year we are also negotiating with NAPNAP to partner in a project that will make selected educational sessions from our Annual Meeting available as Web-based offerings for our members and theirs through the NAPNAP Web site. This partnership has represented a great deal of mutual benefit for our Memberships. Although we are a small organization by comparison, it is evident that we have a great deal to offer the members of NAPNAP, and they have the resources to help us dream a bit bigger.
Each year our President, President Elect, and an additional Board Member attend the Nursing Organization Alliance's Leadership Academy (NALA), a "boot camp" of sorts for nursing leaders. We return from that meeting energized and committed to find ways to enhance the way we do our work and the way that work is integrated with that of other nursing organizations, large and small. In 2011 our focus upon our return was leadership development. In August last year, our attendance renewed our commitment to the further development of leaders within the Organization, and now we are beginning to explore more strategies related to member engagement. Our new member data base will give us a better understanding of who our members are. The next step is to better define their needs. This is a focus that many organizations struggle with. We are hoping to crack that code so that we may continue to structure member services that provide the best fit. This year in Phoenix, we will host a series of round table focus groups where Members will have an opportunity to "brainstorm" strategies to enhance member services. I would ask that if you are planning to attend this year to take some time to think about how we can better meet your needs and share your ideas with us in Phoenix.
Our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) continue to grow and remain energized. They have provided us with educational offerings and opportunities within their areas of expertise. Through their efforts, we have been successful in participating in coalitions that bring APSNAs voice to the legislative table. They have engaged in projects that make our expertise known globally, and they have given us opportunities to make public our positions on issues related and important to us as Pediatric Surgical Nurses. Their contributions to our Organization remain extremely important. I will remain steadfast in my efforts to ensure that we will not lose that momentum as I assume the role of SIG Liaison to the Board during my term as Immediate Past President.
Our textbook Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient 3rd Edition continues to receive rave reviews. I am pleased to inform you that it has won second place in AJNs 2013 Book of the Year Award. This is an amazing tribute to the hard work of all our editors and contributors. Of course, we always knew that our textbook was a brilliant work, but it is always special when this is recognized as such by others. This represents significant recognition for our discipline, our organization, and our body of knowledge among the entire nursing community. Congratulations to all of you who worked tirelessly to make this possible.
Although this year has represented considerable work and sacrifice on the part of all of our Board Members, our Committees, and SIGs, I am sure they would agree that it has been well worth it. It has been a privilege to serve APSNA and all of its Members during my time on the Board. I look forward to the rest of my term, and I am excited about my upcoming term as Immediate Past President. I am convinced that it was and is time well spent. The return on my investment in time and energy has come back to me 10-fold in terms of experiencing a sense of accomplishment. It has been an opportunity for me to grow personally and professionally and has been and continues to be the highlight of my professional career. I would encourage you all to consider it.
Neil Ead, RN, MSN, CPNP
APSNA President 2013-2014