NEWSLETTER

We hope you have enjoyed your summer.  It is hard to believe that the fall is quickly approaching.  On Saturday October 18th, we will have our Fall meeting at the Hightstown Holiday Inn.  The registration form and meeting agenda can be found on the Meeting Information page.  We look forward to seeing you!!

As you know, the APN regulations were finally published on June 16th.  All information related to this can be found on the Advanced Practice Nurse page.

Several months ago, one of our NJANA members, Kirsten Anderson, suffered a CVA secondary to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm shortly after childbirth.  For those of you who have given us your e-mail, we have given you updates.  At this time, she is showing amazing improvement.  You can view her "Care Page" by going to Carepages.com & visit KirstenAnderson2. If you would like to offer financial support, donations can be sent to:

"The Kirsten Anderson Fund"
Commerce Bank
491 Hurffville-Crosskeys Road
Sewell, NJ 08080



On Saturday Oct 4th, friends and family gathered together for a benefit for Kirsten & her family at Bogey's Club & Café in Sewell.  Approximately 300 people participated.  Many raffle items were donated.  Everyone had a good time, but most of all it was wonderful to see Kirsten be able to dance with her husband!!  Her family is very appreciative of everyone's support.

 

On Thursday October 16th the New Jersey State Nurses Association held the Nurses in Trenton conference.  Several NJANA board members attended, including Russ Lynn, Linda DeLamar, Tracy Castleman, Jamie Eisenberg, Christol Williams and Alma Saravia.   Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nurse Anesthesia had 17 students registered.  Alice Jurski, the Assistant Program Director also attended.  There were also 2 students from UMDNJ, including our own student representative.  It was a very informative day. 

 

Saturday October 18th was our Fall Meeting.  We had 98 CRNA's & 50 SRNA's.  We had some great lecturers & were thrilled that Retired Maj. General Gale S. Pollock was able to present at our meeting.

Andrea Augenbach,RN, CS, CEO, NJSNA & George Hebert, MA, RN, Executive Director , NJ State Board of Nursing joined us during our luncheon.  Mr Hebert addressed the members, discussing the APN regulations.

Students from UMDNJ presented their research.  They did a great job & it did create some good discussion during the Q&A portion.

On behalf of the NJANA Board of Directors, Russ Lynn presented Linda De Lamar with several gifts of appreciation for having served as state president for the past 2 years.

During our State Update, Russ spoke about NJANA's 70th Anniversary in 2009.  He also discussed the possibility of a weekend meeting next fall.

Alma Saravia, Esq., discussed the APN regulations & answered many questions.

Steve Alves, PhD, CRNA, Region 1 Director, provided us with updates as well.

After reviewing the evaluations, the NJANA Board of Directors would like to thank everyone for their feedback.  Members present completed a survey.  Based on the results, 75% agreed that they would prefer to go green & not print out handouts at upcoming meetings.

75% favored having a weekend meeting in October 2009.

Thank you to those of you who attended for making this a successful meeting!

There was a NJANA Board of Directors meeting following the state meeting.  The President-Elect position had been vacant.  We are happy to announce that Jamie Eisenberg will be filling that position!  Russ will be mentoring Jamie during the next 2 years & Jamie is also attending workshops at the Fall Assembly.

Lisa Jones will be the new chairperson for the Program Committee.

 

AANA Elections
AANA is seeking candidates for nominations or resolutions committee for 2009 as well as Region 1 director.   Please let us know if you are interested (having served on the Board of Directors is a prerequisite).

We are also please to announce that our Region 1 Director, Steve Alves, will be running for AANA Vice President.  Steve has done a great job as Region 1 Director!

 

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FAQ's

1. Do I have to pay extra to be a member of NJANA?
   No.  Your AANA dues include membership to your state.
2. How do I know what state I belong to?
   You can contact AANA  if you are unsure.  If you receive e-mails &/or regular mail from NJANA, then you are most likely a member of NJANA
3. Why should I belong to AANA?
   Some believe the dues are high.  Although our salaries have increased substantially over the past 20 or so years, our dues have only quadrupled during the same time.  Our dues are approx 0.45% of our income. Your membership allows AANA to have a strong & respected organization.  If you look at the AANA website, you will find many things available to you.  Many people enjoy CTACS.  This is where AANA keeps track of your CE.  When you have to submit proof of CE to an employer, you can go to that page & print it out. Some of your dues come back to the state you are affiliated with so that we can have our state meetings, send you the registration forms, have a webpage, etc.
4. Why should I come to a state meeting when I can get CE on a cruise?
   OK, while Hightstown is not exactly the Caribbean, it is less expensive, provides you with an opportunity to network with your friends from NJ & it gives your BOD a chance to speak with you and get your feedback AND we love to see YOU!
5. I do not have a Masters Degree, but I have been working over 20 years.  When the APN regs are published, will I be able to practice?
   All CRNA's who practice or wish to practice in NJ will have to go through the same initial application process.  We need to have our school send transcripts to the NJ State Board of Nursing, show proof of having had pharmacology & we will all have to take a 6 hr pharmacology course.  Once the regulations are published, we will send out the information you need to assist you in the process, as well as have it on the webpage.
6. NJ now has a CE requirement for nurses.  Are AANA credits recognized?
   YES.

 

We still have a few posters left from the Nurse Anesthestist Campaign
If you would are interested in a poster, they are $20.00 per poster.
Checks can be made payable to NJANA (in the memo line, put poster sponsor). Please send checks to:

NJANA
c/o Linda DeLamar
109 Woolmans Lane
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

 

Our next educational meeting will be:
Saturday, March 21, 2009.

 

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AANA Membership / State Membership
Just as an FYI, if you belong to AANA, you are also a member of a state.  You do not pay separate dues to belong to a state.  Usually, your state membership is determined by your home of record when you became certified.  Often, members change their state affiliation when they move.   Some members choose to belong to the state where they are employed.

As a member of AANA, a portion of your dues goes back to your state, so that we can provide educational meetings, pay for mailings, have a website, etc.

There are several important ways in which AANA utilizes your dues to benefit you.  For more information, you can go to the AANA website.

If  someone is not a member of AANA, or NJANA I do not have their contact information.

NJSNA Membership / APN Forum
If you are interested in becoming a member of NJSNA (New Jersey State Nurses Association), without being a member of ANA (American Nurses Association), you can do so.  The annual dues are $130.00

Forum of Nurses in Advanced Practice
The APN's have a forum where they have continuing education as well as a business meeting.  They also have an education day just prior to the NJ Nursing Convention, which is held in Atlantic City each spring.

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As a reminder:

We have many members for whom we do not have e-mail addresses (or innacurate ones) and we have colleagues who work in NJ, but are not members of NJANA so we do not have contact information for them. We ask that you please share this information with your colleagues, especially the APN regulations information. If anyone would be interested to be added to the list, please have them contact us through the website.

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OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST..

Please look at the AANA website frequently. There have been bylaw changes which were voted upon at the national meeting in August. Among the changes are a Dues increase and voting mechanism changes. Look at the AANA website for more information or contact one of the BOD members.

There is also important information about Anesthesia and Medicare cuts that you should read!!

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For more than a decade Alma L. Saravia, Esquire, a shareholder at Flaster/Greenberg has served as counsel to the New Jersey Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Ms. Saravia concentrates her practice in health care law and she represents nurses and other healthcare professionals before their respective licensing boards -- such as the Board of Nursing. In addition, Ms. Saravia counsels clients on health care regulatory matters and she is a registered lobbyist. She has written many articles on topics such as how to respond if a complaint is filed against you with your licensing board. To contact Ms. Saravia, email Alma.Saravia@flastergreenberg.com. Or CLICK HERE to learn more by viewing her bio on the web.

 

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NURSING COMPACT
Legislation concerning the nursing compact has been reintroduced by Assemblyman Conaway. The BON is addressing this. When we have more information we will let you know..

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WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING …

Mary DeRosa and Rose Mullen have come up with a great fundraising idea for the association! After some research, they found that by people 'donating' their old cell phones, we can raise money. These donations are also tax deductible. For information as to where to drop off your phone, you can contact Mary at MBDD4ROSE@aol.com. You can download a receipt for tax purposes.

Patrick Loynd, CRNA, MSN, NJANA secretary recently completed the DNP program! Congratulations Patrick !!!

 

 

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If you have not been to a national meeting in awhile, you should really think about going.  It's a wonderful opportunity to network, make new friends, see old ones and obtain CE as well.  It is also a good opportunity to attend the business and resolutions meetings to see what is going on in your association.

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Just a reminder... When you have time, check out some of our links.  The NJSNA web page has a lot of useful information. Legislative updates are there as well.  Don't forget to look at the AANA web site from time to time too!