Archived President's Messages Maureen McLaughlin Spring 2007 - Fall 2006
Spring 2007 Mayflower Volume 18 Issue 2
Goals for the New Year
Maureen McLaughlin, BSN, RN, CPAN
Reflection and Anticipation
The beginning of the New Year is often a time for reflection and anticipation. As I write this column during the New Year’s weekend, I reflect back on MASPAN’
s accomplishments, as well as my own, during 2006. In addition, because we are in the process of our end of the year evaluations at my hospital, I am also
identifying my goals for 2007: one personal, one professional, and one department related. I will carry that theme into this column and urge you all to reflect
on your goals for 2007.
MASPAN, 2006
In another column, you will read an outline version of my end of the year report. However, I want to spend some time reviewing the amazing achievements of
MASPAN during the past year. As you all know, we culminated a long journey to be the single, best component of the year by being awarded ASPAN’s Gold
Leaf Award, recognizing our accomplishments for 2005. As a component President, that award is truly both an honor and something like a life-time
achievement, although that lifetime was but a few short years. I began our journey to the Gold Leaf award before I was even the president-elect, so to receive it
during my presidency was such an exciting event, both personally and as a component leader.
But MASPAN’s achievements did not end there. The Gold Leaf Award was a milestone, but it is not an end of our journey- it was a benchmark of where we
need to be, where we need to remain, and in a few more years, it will be the beginning of another journey as we strive to be awarded the Gold Leaf for a
second time.
In 2006, we were able to offer to our MASPAN members, for the first time, a free conference! Our September conference was free to all MASPAN members.
We were delighted to have nearly 100 attendees, ample vendor support, and overall we had an outstanding day! We are finally able to report that we have an
active education committee, meaning that there is more than one person planning our conferences. This is truly an accomplishment, as many components
struggle with recruiting new members to the board. Under Ann Marie’s leadership, Kathy DeLeskey and Karen Annetti and I have met and planned both the
last conference and the upcoming conferences for 2007. In addition, MASPAN sponsored a very successful ASPAN Seminar on pediatrics in the fall and we
will continue to sponsor similar seminars through-out the upcoming years. Again many thanks to those who ventured out in the horrible weather last fall to
attend the Seminar!
The membership of MASPAN continues to grow! We have increased our membership by approximately 30% for 2006! Where did you all come from??? And
WELCOME!!!! We are so delighted to welcome new members to our organization and we look forward to seeing you in 2007. I am also delighted to report
that one of our members, Ellen Stokinger, has submitted a willingness to serve form expressing an interest in membership activities, and will be assisting Ellen
Sullivan with her membership duties. Our finances continue to move forward in a very stable pattern, due to the cautious stewardship of Kathi Saball, our
Director of Finance. Despite the loss of revenue from registration fees for the fall conference, we were able to still report a profit due to Kathi’s recruitment of
vendor support. We have a tidy balance in our checking account, reserve account and scholarship fund, and I think that we can definitively state that we have
recovered successfully from our struggles during the last decade.
Our communication has only grown- in addition to continuing to publish four newsletters a year, Kathy Menard, our web mistress, has created and
maintained our web page. I think that anyone who accesses our web page would agree that it is user friendly, pleasant to the eye, and very informative.
Maureen, 2006
I had a wonderful year as the MASPAN President. While it is true that this role brings with it a fair amount of work and requires a time commitment that is
often hard to maintain, the rewards so far outweigh any detractions. I was delighted to see so many MASPAN members at National Conference last year and
we had an awesome evening gathered together in the Presidential suite in Orlando. I chatted with many members whom I had not met before and I had a
wonderful evening. Many of the new friends that I made communicate with me on a regular basis. The MASPAN board also was able to relax over food and
beverages on more than one occasion this past year, which was also great. We traditionally meet five times a year at board meetings where it is mostly all
business, so it was great to spend some social time with my fellow board members. I enjoy their company, their wit, their stories from work, their pet stories,
and whenever we are together, it is guaranteed to be a fun afternoon or evening.
I continue on in my pursuit of my masters’ degree in nursing at Boston College. That chapter in my life continues to both challenge and reward me
simultaneously and I truly don’t know why I waited so long to return to school. I am also pleased to report that I am finally dual-certified! Lagging far behind
my fellow board members, I sat for the CAPA exam in November, along with many other perianesthesia colleagues. The preparation was an excellent review
for me and I have been able to carry that knowledge into my educational role at Lahey Clinic. I will also be hosting what I hope to be the first of many
informational sessions on certification at Lahey later this month. I look forward to sharing with anyone who will listen the benefits of certification and of how
proud I have always been to state that I am a certified perianesthesia nurse!
MASPAN, 2007
I will turn over the leadership of this wonderful component to Anne Halliday in March of 2007. She will continue to lead MASPAN for the next two years. We
will continue to offer two conferences a year and are looking for alternate sites for our conferences. We want to come visit you! We will also host another
ASPAN seminar in the fall. We look for continued membership growth, financial stability, health for all, and the educational enrichment of our members.
MASPAN Members, 2007
I urge you all to identify three achievable goals for 2007: one personal, one professional, and one department related. Make them realistic, fun, enriching, and
above all, attainable.
Personal
Personal goals are just that: personal. Mine have nothing to do with weight loss, although I could stand to lose some pounds. Rather, I want to strive to drink
at least eight glasses of water a day and to walk at least two miles a day. The latter is certainly more achievable since the arrival of my newly rescued dog,
Romeo. We enjoy a very brisk walk every morning, often guided by the moon, and I have ample time to reflect on subjects like my newsletter articles!
As many of you know, I feel passionate about education and I urge you all to consider advancing your education. Have you always wanted to return to school
but don’t quite know how? Too busy with children, work, after-school activities, or do you simply feel that you are too old to go back? I was “yes” to most of
the above a few years ago but registered for ONE course- pathophysiology- and the rest is history. I am now a matriculated graduate student and I hope to
receive my Master’s in nursing in a few years. Take one course and see where it may take you. Education is never wasted and there is simply so much to
learn!
Professional
Professional goals can include reading one article from the Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing per month, or any other health related journal that interests
you. I read many nursing journals in addition to the JOPAN and am constantly learning new things that I can bring into my practice.
Certification is another huge professional goal and if you have not yet certified, please consider making that your professional goal for 2007. If you have any
questions about the certification process, how to prepare, when you should take it, how to apply, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be more than
happy to guide you.
Attendance at a MASPAN conference is another achievable goal. Our conferences are offered twice a year at two separate locations. I feel that they are
affordable and very educational. If you have not yet attended one of our conferences, make that an achievable goal for 2007.
What about an ASPAN conference? Never been? Too far away? Too expensive? There are scholarships available, both from ASPAN and MASPAN to assist
you. One of our MASPAN members is the recipient of the 2006 scholarship for national conference attendance and she will be able to attend the 2007 National
Conference in Anaheim. The 2008 National Conference is in Texas and the 2009 conference is in Washington, D.C. While that is really more of a long range
plan that a goal for 2007, I urge you to consider attending a national conference and to use the time in 2007 to plan. There are so many scholarship
opportunities available and even financial assistance from employers, if you but seek them out.
Department related
What do you talk about when you are at work? Do you compare recipes, discuss your weekend, your children’s sports, or do you share with your
perianesthesia colleagues some research article that you read or the discuss with them what you learned at a MASPAN conference? While the former is more
than acceptable and we all need to find time at work to discuss non-nursing related subjects, I urge you, for your 2007 department related goal, to share with
your colleagues the following: the fact that you are a member! How many people that you work with even know that you are a member of MASPAN?
Membership alone is a professional and perhaps personal achievement. Share it with others!!!! Bring the newsletter into work and post it or even just read it
in front of your colleagues. Make the MASPAN and the ASPAN website a favorite on the computer at work and encourage the staff to access them. Post our
conference flyers at work and see if a group can go- Treat yourselves and go out to lunch afterwards! Enrich the practice of your colleagues by sharing with
them some of the educational and professional benefits of your MASPAN membership.
Conclusion
I wish you all a healthy, peaceful New Year. This is an interesting time of year, as we reflect back on the year so quickly passed and look forward with
anticipation to the year ahead. I look forward to meeting many of you in the year ahead. Introduce yourself to me at a conference or send me an e-mail. Review
your three attainable goals for 2007 and enjoy!
Maureen
Winter 2007 Mayflower Volume 18 Issue 1
THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY OF PERIANESTHESIA NURSES 1983-2006
Maureen McLaughlin, BSN, RN, CPAN
In the spring of 1983, thirty-three “recovery room” nurses from five districts throughout Massachusetts (MA) gathered in Worcester to discuss the formation
of a state organization of perianesthesia nurses. Kathleen (Kay) Collins spearheaded this endeavor with the assistance of several colleagues from the
Western MA Recovery Room Nurses Association. Officially, MASPAN was formed on June 4, 1983. The first President chosen to lead our organization
was Kay Collins. The initial dues were $10.00 and Mayflower was chosen as the logo. By the end of the first year, MASPAN had one hundred and ninety
members!
In April 1985, representatives of MASPAN journeyed to the ASPAN National Conference in New Orleans. At this time, they received a component
certificate and officially joined the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses.
In April 1986, MASPAN proudly prepared to host the fifth ASPAN National Conference in Boston. In November of that same year, the certification exam
was also held in Boston.
As I prepared for our fall conference, I had the opportunity to examine the “history box”, lent to me by our secretary. It contains all of the memorabilia for
MASPAN: old meeting minutes, past newsletters, and correspondence. What I found amazing is the similarities between the past and the present.
MASPAN began with a small group of dedicated perianesthesia nurses who shared a common vision. They believed in the benefit of membership in a
professional organization and they wanted to merge the small “districts” of perianesthesia nurses in Massachusetts (MA) into one organization. At that
time there were several groups of perianethesia nurses in MA. Some were from the western part of the state, others in the greater Boston area, and some from
the south. Thanks to the efforts a few visionaries, MASPAN was formed and remains a strong organization today.
The vision of MASPAN, as seen on the back cover of this newsletter, is “to be the preeminent component organization for quality in the perianesthesia
specialty, providing exceptional professional development”. How do we as an organization maintain and strengthen this vision?
In a prior article I highlighted the educational efforts of our education committee. Education remains a primary focus of our Board meetings and
MASPAN dedicates a lot of time attempting to enhance the professional development of our perianesthesia colleagues through our educational offerings.
But there is more to fostering the professional development of a nurse than attending a conference. MASPAN sponsored an ASPAN Seminar recently and
I was struck by the dedication of both the perianesthesia nurses who attended and the MASPAN Board members who arrived ready to share with the
audience the benefits of membership in our organization. The weather was horrible, with torrential rain and high winds, yet several of the Board members
arrived to greet the attendees. During the break, MASPAN board members were on hand to provide membership information, answer questions about our
organization, and sell our famous Gold Leaf of the Year t-shirts. Due to our efforts, we recruited several new members and I have no doubt that they will
be enriched by their membership with us.
The image of the professional nurse who is active in her/his organization is an essential part of professional development. I am proud to be the President
of this organization and I want to take a moment to personally thank all of the members of the MASPAN Board of Directors for their dedication to the
pursuit of our professional development, for their enthusiasm, for their individual visions that help to grow together, and for their unceasing efforts at
maintaining and strengthening our organization.
Fall 2006 Mayflower Volume 17 Issue 4
Upholding the MASPAN Mission and Vision
Maureen McLaughlin, BSN, RN, CPAN
As the President of our Component, the Massachusetts Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (MASPAN), it is my responsibility to ensure that MASPAN
continues to meet the elements outlined in our mission and vision statements. The stated mission of MASPAN is to advance (perianesthesia) nursing
practice through education, research, and (the) promotion of ASPAN Standards. To that end, the agenda for the Board of Directors (BOD) meetings that
are held throughout the year deal with those subjects.
Education
I recently reviewed the history of MASPAN and in 1983, as MASPAN was in its infancy; the Board of Directors at that time outlined the strategic plan for
the organization. One of the future goals they listed was “to develop and sponsor educational programs to promote the highest professional standards of
Recovery Room Nursing for the better and safer care of the patient.” I hope that 23 years later we achieve that goal.
Every BOD meeting addresses how MASPAN can best meet the educational needs of our members. We sponsor two conferences a year and the topics that
are selected for those conferences are based on member evaluations and surveys. We arrange conference sites in a variety of locations designed to meet the
needs of all of our members spanning a large geographical area. We also choose sites that include free parking, free use of the facility, and easy access for
our members. We also do our own catering to reduce expenses. If we can keep our overall cost down, we can offer a very reasonable registration fee to our
members. In fact, for the first time this fall, we are offering a free conference to our members in honor of MASPAN’s achieving the Gold Leaf of the Year
Award for 2005.
Our Director of Education, Ann Marie McLaughlin, keeps very busy as we prepare for our conferences. Once the board has determined the content and
selected the speakers, Ann Marie creates the program flyer that is mailed to our members as well as area hospitals. From personal experience, I can attest to
the labor involved in attaching labels and stamps to hundreds of forms. In addition to contacting the speaker, obtaining their content outline forms and
biographical data forms (which is often a challenge), she makes all of the arrangements for food service, tables with linen, clean-up arrangements, and
most importantly, coffee service. It resembles hosting a brunch for sixty people! In addition, she completes the Education Approver form for ASPAN in
order for MASPAN to provide contact hours for our programs.
We have also sponsored an ASPAN Seminar on an annual basis for the past few years. This year we have made arrangements for ASPAN to come to
Boston on October 28 to lecture on pediatrics. For the last two years we have sponsored the ‘Beyond the Basics’ series and we may consider the new
certification review seminars as an option for 2007.
We are pleased to welcome Karen Annetti to the education committee. She has been busy assisting Ann Marie in preparation for the fall conference.
Education takes various forms, so in addition to providing education via our conferences; MASPAN also provides education via our newsletter, the
Mayflower. Various members of the board, as well as some contributing authors, provide educational articles on a variety of subjects, including recent
surgical advances, legal issues, hot topics, and governmental affairs. Our website, www.maspan.org contains most of the content of our newsletter as well,
so that we may also provide perianesthesia education to a broader audience.
Research
Kathleen DeLeskey is MASPAN’s Director of Research. Her role involves research articles for the Mayflower, promoting research within our component,
and contacting our colleagues who are conducting research to encourage poster presentations at our conferences. We were able to sponsor an entire
conference dedicated to research and we always have current research in mind as we plan our future conferences.
ASPAN Standards
MASPAN promotes the ASPAN Standards in a variety of ways. As individuals and as an organization, we adhere to, and promote, the ASPAN Standards
at every opportunity.
We offer the ASPAN Standards as a door prize at our conferences, and this fall, we will be offering the 2004 Standards as door prize to a conference
attendee who plans on taking the certification exam within the next year.
As an organization, we often receive questions regarding clinical practice issues that we are able to answer based on the ASPAN Standards. We also
reference the ASPAN Standards in many of our Mayflower articles and conference topics. Our Clinical Practice panel has always been a popular
conference topic.
Conclusion
This article is a very brief overview of only some of the areas that the MASPAN Board addresses on a regular basis. The MASPAN Board represents a
variety of perianesthesia practice areas and we always welcome MASPAN members to join us to share with us their ideas and visions of how we, as an
organization, can further the development and growth of our specialty practice, perianesthesia nursing. Please consider joining us at a board meeting, or
e-mail us with your questions, comments, ideas, suggestions. Help us achieve and maintain our mission of advancing perianesthesia nursing practice.