President's Message: Annual Report |
(April 5, 2002) |
| Michelle A. Beauchesne, DNSc, RN,
CPNP President (617) 373-3621 (phone) (617) 373-3050 (fax) e-mail: m.beauchesne@neu.edu This has been another productive year for the AFPNP. It is with mixed sadness and relief that I write my last president's report. These past four years have been an exciting and challenging time for me. I have watched our organization grow stronger and more cohesive. We have seized the opportunities that have been presented to us and have reestablished ourselves as a leading figure in NP education. I am pleased to state that during my tenure as President I have only experienced a sense of collaboration and good will, both within our own group and between our related organizations. This has resulted in our presence on all major NP national endeavors and contributed to the development of several important NP projects. I am confident that under Bernadette Melnyk's leadership the organization will continue to be a strong presence on the national scene. The following is a brief overview of this year's accomplishments. Annual NAPNAP Conference Agenda
We realize this conference conflicts with the NONPF conference this year. We have apprised the leadership of both groups of this conflict and hope it can be avoided in the future. With this in mind, all AFPNP events at NAPNAP have been scheduled to allow those members who are trying to attend both meetings to do so! The AFPNP Fall Board Meeting was held October 19, 2001 by conference call. Many important issues were discussed. I have summarized the issues from our minutes taken by Marty Swartz, Secretary, and provided additional updates. Updates: National Task Force on Quality NP Education Michelle Beauchesne attended the first meeting of this newly convened task force 6/21/01 in DC. All major educational and certifying groups were represented. The previous 1997 document was carefully reviewed and evaluated based upon feedback from educators and other sources since the implementation of the 1997 document. On February 15, 2002 there was a conference call of the NTF to discuss the next steps. This revised document written by National Task Force on Nurse Practitioner Quality Education will be discussed at our annual meeting. Currently it is in final draft form but is scheduled to be finalized by the end of April. The Board has been asked to endorse this important document. Core Competencies Project Pam Hellings has been our representative to this essential project and has submitted the following update this month. The final report of this joint project has been submitted to the Division of Nursing, which is the funding agency. Public reports are not allowed until final approval is obtained. More than 15 NP related organizations have indicated support of this document with formal endorsements. There may be more endorsements forthcoming. The AFPNP Board members were given the opportunity to review this draft and make suggestions last fall. We formally endorsed the new Core Competencies for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners on November 15, 2001. This project was funded by the Division of Nursing and co-chaired by AACN and NONPF. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners were well represented by Pam Hellings for the AFPNP and Pat Clinton for the NCBPNP/N. The Terminal Competencies authored by the AFPNP (revised 1996) served as the basis for the Pediatric Competencies and will be acknowledged in the final document. Several AFPNP members participated in the Validation phase as well, including another board member, Karen Duderstadt. This document should have a major impact on nurse practitioner education. We will notify members when the final document is made public. NCBPNP/N Cathie Burns is our new representative to this important group. Susan Van Cleve continues as our other representative until Summer 2002. Beth Richardson, our outgoing representative (along with Susan Van Cleve and Cathie Burns) attended the January board meeting as part of a transition process. Because of recent events, the fall NCB board meeting was postponed until January 2002. Thus, all three AFPNP reps attended January's meeting. Beth was officially off as of November 1, 2001. At their January meeting, NCBPNP/N discussed a new structure of relationship with AFPNP. Since we just recently changed our by-laws, it was requested by AFPNP that any new proposal be received soon so that there would be plenty of time for review and discussion prior to the April AFPNP board meeting. Our representatives' report on this meeting is attached. An invitation by the NCBPNP/N on 7/6/01 to archive our materials in conjunction with theirs was declined at this time due to our current need to set priorities for the membership, and because many of our materials are now filed electronically. NAPNAP In August, AFPNP officially signed on to the KYSS campaign and agreed to support this effort through advertising. No money has been donated to the campaign at this point. We are committed however to support this campaign in other ways. The NAPNAP Strategic Plan Fall Board meeting which was scheduled for October 13 and 14, 2001 was also canceled. Michelle Beauchesne had planned on attending but instead a written report was submitted. The general board meeting was not rescheduled. A major topic was to have been NAPNAP's strategic planning model. Please see the PNP newsletter for excellent summaries. There still seems to be a need to explore the role of the AFPNP in education, and the overall articulation of AFPNP with NAPNAP within the new model. Our Board has discussed this issue further and requested it be on the agenda for NAPNAP's spring general board meeting to be held in Reno. Michelle will be present. In November and December 2001, the AFPNP joined NAPNAP and the NCBPNP to draft a response to a request by the New York PNPs regarding the Age limits of pediatric practice. NCBPNP/N sent an individual response where AFPNP sent a joint one. Dolores Jones of NAPNAP coordinated these efforts and was a great facilitator of this thoughtful response. You may find this response on our web site. In March 2002 AFPNP once again joined with NAPNAP and the NCBPNP/N to draft a response to an article which appeared in the February issue of Advances for Nurse Practitioners discussing the legal issues in the scope of NP practice. Our response is scheduled for the April issue. It will be discussed at the meeting as well. NONPF Michelle Beauchesne is on the Consultation Task Force. AFPNP's consultation proposal went out last summer. No response noted. Perhaps there is a need to revisit this issue. The Board discussed need to further explore this relationship as specified in MUO. Alliance for Accreditation and Certification A document on Distance Learning was emailed to the Board along with Elizabeth Hawkins-Walsh's report of the Alliance meeting on 10/15/01. AFPNP hosted the meeting. Michelle could not attend at last minute due to change in NAPNAP board meeting which made a change in travel plans too expensive. A revised Distance Learning statement was just received and will be discussed at the Board meeting. Joint visits with CCNE and AFPNP rep Elizabeth Hawkins Walsh occurred last fall. Elizabeth's report was sent out previously. She continues to represent us at the Consortium for Quality NP education and an updated report is attached. Legislative Update Karen Duderstadt has done a great job of keeping us abreast of national issues. In fact, she has done such a great job that she is being snapped up by NAPNAP to chair their Legislative Area. Congratulations to Karen. We look forward to continued collaboration. FNP survey results Under the leadership of Academic Committee Chair Pat Jackson, the preliminary results of the survey of PNP content in FNP programs has been completed. Currently the task force is finalizing recommendations for specific content areas. This document will be presented at both NAPNAP and the NONPF conference. It will be a major discussion item at our educational session and business meeting. We hope to have the final recommendations ready for electronic vote in May 2002. PNP Graduate Survey 2001 Pat Jackson and Christine Kennedy received funding from the AFPNP in 2000 for this important survey and have recently presented the findings at Yale University meeting. These are important issues for PNP educators and we are proud to have supported this endeavor. Upcoming Elections A reminder to
all: candidates are needed to run for the offices of President-elect,
Secretary/Treasurer, and member at large. Participating in the leadership
of this group is an excellent opportunity for PNP faculty to have a strong
voice in the direction of PNP education and practice. As a board member
you are in a position to be on the cutting edge of the national scene.
Please consider running for office this year. REMINDER: Please send me any items for the Bulletin board. See you in Reno! Closing Finally, I would like to formally extend my appreciation to all of you who have supported my efforts as President of this important association. It has been a privilege and an honor to have served you in this role. The Board members, Committee chairs, and Task force members who have worked with me over these past four years are to be especially commended for their dedication to this group. However, there have been many challenges to leading an association that does not have a permanent infrastructure. These challenges must be addressed in the coming months if the AFPNP is to continue as a successful and strong unit. I am recommending to the Board that a Task Force be established to carefully analyze our resources and recommend future structural possibilities. I am confident we are now in a position to make deliberate choices that will strengthen our voice in PNP education. It has truly been a pleasure to work with you all. I will look forward to continued collaborations and hope that I may serve in other ways. I thank you all for giving me this wonderful opportunity. |
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