President’s Letter
April 2009
The Midwest Pediatric Cardiology Nurses Association (MPCNA) has begun its fourth year as a professional organization. Our goals are to improve and strengthen our vision to provide educational and networking opportunities for nurses and healthcare professionals dedicated to caring for children with congenital and acquired heart disease. We have had an exciting year to date and look forward to what is still to come: education, growth and transformational leadership.
Education
Our educational program included two dinner/lectures in the fall featuring Dr. Chetana Reddy who provided a wonderful perspective on Protein Losing Enteropathy, and Dr. Angela Sharkey, whose lecture titled Baby Hearts and their Defects was topped off with a demonstration and commentary of infant hearts with congenital defects and surgical repair. Two additional dinner meetings to conclude the fiscal year will feature topics related to genetic testing for inherent cardiac syndromes in April and hybrid procedures in June. Finally, our fourth newsletter will be published and will highlight articles written by our nursing colleagues who attended the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society 7th International Conference in Miami and will describe current trends and new innovations in pediatric cardiac care.
Growth
Expansion of membership in a small organization is essential to bring in new ideas, viewpoints and knowledge. During the first year of MPCNA in Fall 2006, fee-based membership was optional. We transitioned to the current fee structure in 2007 and the first official membership totaled 30 members. In 2008, our membership grew to 43 registered members which reflected a 43% increase. We are still truly in our infancy as an organization and hope to grow even more annually. Please refer to the membership link for more information about becoming a member of MPCNA. As always, we welcome comments about how the Board of Directors can make membership a more meaningful experience for you.
Transformational Leadership
Spring 2009 will be a season of change, similar to that of the political arena, as we elect our new Board of Directors to lead us forward for the 2009-2011 term. The current president-elect, Kym Galbraith, will assume the role of president of MPCNA upon conclusion of our June meeting. Kym is an Assistant Nurse Manager of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Nominations for positions of President-elect, Secretary, Treasure, Program Chairperson and Newsletter Chairperson will be accepted at the April 22, 2009 meeting with subsequent elections in June, 2009.
I hope you will consider becoming an officer or member...active participation is essential to create a robust organization.
Heidi Fields, RN, MSN, CPNP
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