GRAC NEWSLETTER. Vol 2 Issue 2 February EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. DeAnn Smith BSN, RN, PCCN-CSC President

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1 GRAC NEWSLETTER EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DeAnn Smith BSN, RN, PCCN-CSC President Beth Torres PhD, RN, CCRN President- Elect Cheri Lenzi BSN, RN, CCRN Secretary Mary Smith BSN, RN Treasurer Tonka Williams MHA, RN, CMSRN, PCCN Program Chair Jennifer Powers BSN, RN, CCRN Membership Chair Tressie Turner BSN, RN, CCRN Newsletter Chair Sue Miner MSN, RN, CCRN Past President PRESIDENT S CORNER Wow 2015!!! I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and are ready for some exciting GRAC programs this year! First, this year via James Gregory recommendation of a web designer and Cherie Lenzi diligent effort/collaboration with the designer, AACN has approved our contract for our NEW website!! If anyone has suggestions for items/topics for the website please contact Cherie (lenzica@gmail.com). Second, We have a lot of events this year. Please remember March 19th is Certified Nurses Day! At the Region 4 Meeting on March 21st, our chapter will present examples on how we are focusing the flames in our community. Please me, dsmith@mcvh-vcu.edu, activities/pictures about how you are using our theme in your personal practice/hospitals. March 28th our chapter is participating in the UKROPS Monument 10K in Richmond. Please gracprograms@gmail.com if interested in participating. National Healthcare Decision Day is April 16th; I d like to call out our Ambassadors to help get the word out to inspire, educate, and empower our community. Lastly, NTI is quickly approaching.san Diego here we come! Last year Shelly Orr organized a super fun meet and greet at a local hotspot in Denver which GRAC sponsored; Shelly has agreed to organize this event again! If you are planning on attending NTI please let us know at gracprograms@gmail.com so we can plan appropriately. We will be supporting our new AACN President Elect Clareen Wiencek, a GRAC member!!!!! In closing I would like to extend my appreciation to our Executive Board and members on their hard work. Without everyones 1

2 dedication, we would be lost. Continue Focusing the Flame. DeAnn L. Smith BSN RN PCCN-CSC President GRAC-AACN: March 19th Certified Nurses Day!! Certification tests are hard but have shown that they increase knowledge which translates into better patient care. How can you encourage certification and recognize certified nurses on your unit? Holding certification deserves celebrating! These are just suggestions. First, I post a bulletin board, In my unit (STICU at VCU), listing the names of all the certified nurses in the unit and their specific certification. Second, I make posters that provide general statistics about certified nurses in the healthcare field, and information about our hospital celebration. Third, I print a card for each of our certified nurses from the promotional tools for certified nurses day on the American Nurses Credentialing Center website ( I write a quick thank you note, attach a Lindt chocolate, and place in the nurses mailbox. This idea shows each nurse that their efforts are acknowledged and appreciated. Lastly, in my unit, there is a Wall of Honor with CCRN plaques and a picture of our nurses when we received our Beacon Award. Our percentage of nurses has steadily increased substantiating that our efforts are making a difference. Tracy McInnes BSN RN CCRN 2

3 Welcome New Members October 29th - February 1st Erin Mims Christine Robinson Susan Butler Patrick Dineen Jennifer Hawkins Jessica Rodabaugh Melanie Tucker Jeremy Scheid Jatori Robinson Leah Webber Leah Wiltshire Whitney Mayer Carol Padgett Brenda Deller JoLane Forrester Odyssey Conference! March 17, 2015 Please Remember!! This event has sold out the past 3 years, therefore we moved it to the convention center and parking is free! The Pre-convention is sponsored by Sage and will be held at the Alumni House on VCU Medical Center Campus; parking is not included in registration. Currently 80 of 300 slots have been filled. Please submit your registration as soon as possible. Spaces will be filling fast! 3

4 2015 Odyssey Conference Tuesday, March 17, 2015 At the Greater Richmond Convention Center 403 North 3rd Street, Richmond, Virginia Co-provided by the Greater Richmond Area Chapter (GRAC) of AACN and the Department of Education & Professional Development at the VCU Medical Center And Featuring: the Odyssey Pre-Conference Workshop Monday, March 16, 2015 at the MCV Alumni House 1016 East Clay Street, Richmond, Virginia To register: If you do not have a VCU Medical Center Learning Exchange account, you will need to create one and then log-in to register and pay for the event. Begin by clicking on the registration link. 4

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8 RECOGNITION BOARD Received PCCN Vimalie Matthew- Renewed Received GRN (Geriatric Resource Nurse) Received Masters Renee Crawford Carol Caddell- MSN from Western Governor s University Vimalie Mathew- MSN concentration in nursing leadership and MBA from Grand Canyon University Continuing Education Tressie Turner- Accepted into the Fall 2015 Nurse Anesthesia Program at VCU 8

9 To maintain our program sponsors, we need to consistently have high participation. Starting this month, members that have RSVP for a catered event and do not transfer or inform the committee in advance that he/she will not be in attendance, will have to give a $10 refundable deposit to RSVP for following catered events. The money will be refunded at event during sign-in. Each person will be notified by the programs committee via if need to submit deposit. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE Feb. 17 6:30-7:45 March 17 April 21 6:30-7:45 April What s Hot in Pressure Ulcer Prevention Sponsored by Smith&Nephew GRAC-AACN Odyssey STEMI Showdown: Firing up ECG interpretation John Dugan, AHA CCRN/PCCN Review Course Flemings Richmond Convention Center Chippenham Medical Center- Kraus Auditorium Featherstone Professional Center Category A CERP Register Online Category A CERP Beth Torres for info beth.torres@hcahealthcare. com May NTI San Diego Register online May 28 GRAC-AACN Extravaganza Maggiano s Little Italy TBA 9

10 Congratulations Clareen!!! Clareen Wiencek, Ph.D, RN, CNP, ACHPN, Nurse Manager/Clinician Thomas Palliative Care Unit and Program Director of The Center for Integrative Pain Management has unanimously been selected by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses National Board of Directors to be the sole candidate for President- Elect during the association's Spring 2015 elections! Congratulations to Beth Torres! Beth Torres, GRAC President-elect, had three podium presentations accepted for the November 11-15, 2015 Virginia EMS Symposium. The planning committee received nearly 800 presentation proposals. The largest EMS training event in the state and one of the largest in the country, the Virginia EMS Symposium is a five-day event that offers over 250 courses and 17 course tracks to help providers fulfill their continuing education (CE) needs. Course topics range from hands-on training in trauma, medical and cardiac care to training for Medevac services, communications, operations and health and safety. These classes are also applicable for nurses and physicians. Beth will present these topics at the symposium: ACLS Pharmacology Courageous Coaches: Creating a winning team Don't give up on me yet...chronic Kidney Disease & Cardiovascular Events: What to do, when, and why. 10