Our History

May 2019

Boston, MA
Twenty-Eighth Annual Conference
May 16 – May 19, 2019
Boston Marriott Copley Place

The 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) hosted an exceptional panel of experts sharing the latest information for the clinical management of pediatric surgical conditions.  Barbara Bratton’s presidential address highlighted APSNA’s history over the past 28 years.  This was in conjunction with APSA celebrating its 50^th year Anniversary.

The four-day conference began with an innovative surgical specialty symposium focusing on long-term urology, neurosurgery and VACTERL patients.  The conference included speaker presentations, podium presentations, poster presentations, interesting case studies and a first-ever professional roundtable session highlighting professional presentations, professional writing and professional speaking.

The prestigious Founder’s Award Ceremony and Reception was held indoors in the lovely 3^rd floor Atrium.  Jennifer Kreiss, MSN, PCP, NP-BC was the recipient of the Founder’s Award, presented to her with a moving speech by Raquel Pasaron, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC which highlighted Jenny’s dedication to bringing pediatric surgical nursing excellence to the global health community.  The Champion Award, given to Thomas Tracy, MD, was delivered by both Neil Ead, MSN, CPNP, CNS CNC and Hillary Lorenco, MSN, RN, CPNP who nominated Dr. Tracy for his commitment and support of the Nurse Practitioner role in Pediatric Surgery.

The Educational Grant was awarded to Carmen Duque, MSN, ARNP, PPCNP-BC from Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Kimberly Thompson, MSN, CPNP from University of South Alabama Children’s and Women’s Hospital.  The Spotlight Award was awarded to both Rebekah Barrette, MS, RN, PCNS-BC, WCC from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Xoana Zampieri, BSN, RN, WCC, CPN from Nicklaus Children's Hospital for the work dedicated to the APSNA Website ostomy information resource page, as well as preservation of Liz Foster’s original work developing these pages.

Poster Award winners were:

• 1st Place – Intraoperative Intercostal Nerve Cryoablation during the Nuss Procedure Reduces Length of Stay and Opioid Requirements:  A Prospective Randomized Trial Rx
• 2nd Place – Management of Diaper/Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (DD/IAD) in Neonatal ICU
• 3rd Place – Early Discharge Protocol for Pediatric Simple Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Aligning with the past year, APSNA's focus for the 2018-2019 year continued to be the transition of administrative tasks away from board members so that the Board of Directors can focus on governance, as well as working on Strategic Plan initiatives.

Highlights for the year included:

• A revised Mission, Vision and Core Values statement, in keeping with the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan
• Record-breaking number of exhibitors (19) with 12 first-time exhibitors
• Our first ever product theater held in the Exhibition Hall
• An interactive and exciting conference fundraiser activity, APSNA’s Amazing Race with a Boston skyline commemorative T-shirt offering
• Development of SIG Guidelines for participation and a shared OneDrive folder for repository of SIG documents
• Addition of the new Surgical Verification SIG
• SIG Clinical Pearls development for the NYCU newsletter
• Creation of the Legislative Corner webpage
• A newly elected EIC for the Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing

Strategic Plan Goals

·      Theme 1:  Apply the current Pediatric Surgery NP Competencies to practice and make recommendations for its integration into education, preceptorship and membership orientation to the organization and specialty.  Submission of this to the ANA for endorsement and continued work on developing CNS and RN competencies.

• Theme 2: Continued development of web-based education—8 new webinars have been added, including the top 5 conference presentations from the 2018 Conference held in Palm Desert, CA
• Theme 3:  First ever surgical specialty symposium that increased comprehensive nursing education delivery to our attendees
• Theme 4:  Revision of the clinical mentorship program to include leadership opportunities; collaboration with NAPNAP for the 2018 Fall Regional Symposium; development of ten Patient and Family Information sheets, with more currently in the review process

Our upcoming conference will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress May 11-14, 2020.

The 2019-2020 Board of Directors:

• President – Kimberly Cogley
• Immediate Past-President – Barbara Bratton
• Treasurer – Karen Semkiw
• Secretary – Annie Harrington
• Director of Development – Hillary Lorenco
• Director of Practice and Quality – Kim McHard
• Director of Education – Rachel Desimone
• Director of Program – Monique Jenkins

May 2018

Palm Desert, CA
Twenty-Seventh Annual Conference
April 30 – May 3, 2018
JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa

The 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) did exactly what it set out to do! We were particularly excited to have as our keynote speaker Suzanne Gordon, co-author of From Silence to Voice, What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public, an advocate for nurses and nursing. Gordon gave a thoughtful and poignant keynote that left many of us thinking!

The four-day conference began with an exceptional preconference workshop entitled “Pediatric Surgery Procedures and Radiology Boot Camp” that included roundtable/skills stations for the attendees. In addition, the conference included speaker presentations, podium presentations, poster presentations, interesting case studies and a first-ever pharmacology roundtable session.

The prestigious Founder’s Award Ceremony and Reception was held indoors in the beautiful Santa Rosa Ballroom and the ceremony was a huge success. We were entertained by the Mariachi Trio all evening, and some say there was dancing out in the halls. Elizabeth "Liz " Foster, MSN, RN, WOCN received the Founder’s Award, and gave an emotional and brave acceptance speech; there was not a dry eye in attendance. The Champion Award was presented to Dennis Lund, M.D.

The Foster Grant was awarded to Rebekah Barrette, MS, RN, PCNS-BC, WCC from Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Mayra Garcia, MSN, RN, PCNS-BC from Children’s Medical Center, Dallas was the recipient of the Education Grant and the Research Grant was awarded to Professor Mamatha Shivananda Pai, PhD from Manipal College of Nursing.

Poster Award winners were:

• 1st Place – Escalator Injuries in the Pediatric Population: A Case Study
• 2nd Place – Diagnosis, Surgical Management, and Post-Operative Care for the Neonate with Sacroccygeal Teratoma
• 3rd Place – Evaluating Narcotic Use after Non-perforated Appendectomy in Children

APSNA's focus for the 2017-2018 year continued to be the transition of administrative tasks away from board members so that the Board can focus on governance, as well as working on Strategic Plan initiatives.

Highlights included:

• In 2018, we reached a record number of 200 attendees in the history of APSNA’s Annual Conference
• Strategic Plan Progress:

• NP competencies complete and available on the website along with the Position Statement. Currently working on ANA model along with CNS and RN competencies.
• Prepared an APSNA position statement on Dog Bite Prevention.
• Development and release of web-based education module entitled Common Pediatric Surgical Conditions in Fall of 2017.
• Planning of Regional Conference for September of 2018.
• Revised Patient Family Information Sheets released.

• We expanded our contract with IntrinXec, our Management Company, who currently manages our web administration and member database to include more event-planning services. And we contracted an Accreditation Manager to manager our contact hour application process, also alleviating previously held board responsibilities.
• We continued a collaborative relationship with CSurgeries an online surgical video journal dedicated to creating a centralized source of peer-reviewed surgical videos.
• Continued our collaboration with the Choosing Wisely Program, finalizing our “Don’t Statement” -- Don’t routinely repeat labs in the hemodynamically normal pediatric patients with isolated blunt solid organ injury. This project was done in collaboration with the APSA Trauma Committee and the APSNA Trauma SIG.
• Continued as an American Nurses Association Organizational affiliate.
• Developed and posted the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan.
• Sponsored our 4th annual national awareness program – Summer Safety Day: Week of 4/16/17 to 4/20/17.
• Increased our social media presence: our likes on Facebook continue to increase and we currently have over 570 followers, we have 177 followers on Twitter, and our Instagram page has 60 followers.
• Granted Trademark status after a two-year application process.

The 2018-2019 Board of Directors:

• President – Barbara Bratton
• President-Elect – Kimberly Cogley
• Treasurer – Maryellen Sheridan
• Secretary – Jessica Draper
• Director of Development – Hillary Lorenco
• Director of Practice and Quality – Kim McHard
• Director of Education – Rachel Desimone
• Director of Program – Monique Jenkins

May 2017

Hollywood, FL
Twenty-Sixth Annual Conference
May 1 -4, 2017
The Diplomat Beach Resort

The 2017 26th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) “Pediatric Surgical Nursing: Exceeding the Vision” did exactly what it set out to do! The conference highlighted our collaboration with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) including an APSNA/NAPNAP speaker exchange presented by Brenda Cassidy, DNP, MSN, CPNP-PC and Raquel Pasarón, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC on “Abdominal Pain in the Adolescent Female – Gynecologic Concerns.” For the third consecutive year, we had the APSNA/NAPNAP Joint session on the topic: “Parent and family Education Session: Tools and Techniques for Improving Parent Education in Pediatric Surgery” presented by Romeo C. Ignacio Jr. MD, Kathleen M. Leack, MS, RN, CNS, Gretchen Jackson Purcell, MD, PhD and Kurt F. Heiss, MD.

The four-day conference began with an exceptional preconference workshop entitled “Care and Management of the Pediatric Patient with a Wound, Ostomy or Gastrostomy Tube” that included skills stations for the attendees.  The Wound, Ostomy, Continence Special Interest Group hosted the preconference workshop. In addition, the conference included speaker presentations, podium presentations, poster presentations, interesting case studies and multiple roundtable discussions.

The prestigious Founder’s Award Ceremony and Reception was held indoors again this year due to inclement weather, and still the banquet was a huge success. The theme this year was “Flamenco Under the Stars;” a beautiful flamenco dancer delighted those in attendance with the exhilarating dance style, while Señor Juan the internationally recognized foremost flamenco guitarist serenaded us. Barbara Bratton, RN, MS, PNP from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco was presented the Founder’s Awards. The Champion Award was presented to Miami Associates in Pediatric Surgery, P.A.  The Innovation Award Recipient was Hajar R. Delshad, MS, PA from Boston Children’s Hospital. This was a new award offered this year. The purpose of the award is to recognize, encourage and disseminate novel ideas that can impact professional nursing practice. The Foster Grant was awarded to Xoana Zampieri, BSN, RN, WCC, CPN from Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.  Tina Shapiro, PhD, MSN, ARNP, PCNS-BC from Nemours Children’s Hospital was the recipient of the Education Grant and the Research Grant was awarded to Mary Ellen Connolly, DNP, CPNP from University of Maryland Medical Center.

Poster Award winners were:

            1^st Place – Syncopal Workup in Pediatric Trauma Patients

            2^nd Place – Hirschsprung’s Disease: How to Prevent Enterocolitis with Rectal Irrigations

            3^rd Place – Pediatric Strokes: The Who, What, When and Beyond…

APSNA's focus for the 2016-2017 year continued on the transition of administrative tasks away from board members so that the Board can focus on governance, as well as working on Strategic Plan initiatives.

Highlights included:

Strategic Plan Progress:

• Developed competencies specific NP practice in pediatric surgery settings – providing insight to the membership and consumer regarding the practice of pediatric surgical nursing.
• Prepared an APSNA position statement on competency-based transition-to-practice programs for pediatric surgical nursing and disseminate to key stakeholders.
• Development of web-based education modules for implementation by Fall of 2017.
• Development of Conference topics on subspecialties: Gynecological Surgery, Neurosurgery, Oncological Surgery, and Otolaryngology.
• Conversations with Subspecialty Groups that need a home.
• Planning of Regional Conference for Fall of 2018.
• Revision of Patient Family Information Sheets commenced.

We contracted with IntrinXec, our web administration and member database management company to provide event-planning services.

Developed a collaborative relationship with CSurgeries an online surgical video journal dedicated to creating a centralized source of peer-reviewed surgical videos.

Invited the American Pediatric Surgical Association to participate in the Choosing Wisely Program, and submitted our “don’t statement” to the American Board of Internal Medicine, after yearlong collaborative approach that includes the APSNA Trauma SIG: Don’t routinely repeat labs in the hemodynamically normal pediatric patients with isolated blunt solid organ injury.

Became an American Nurses Association Organizational affiliate.

Developed and distributed our membership survey planning for the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan.

Developed and sent a membership recruitment packet to APSA surgeons.

Sponsored our 3^rd annual national awareness program - Road Safety Day:  Week of 4/17/17 to 4/21/17

Increased our social media presence: our likes on Facebook tripled in one year, we have 89 followers on Twitter, and our Instagram page has 50 followers.

Applied for Trademark status.

The conference culminated with the passing of the Hegar, and “The” 24K gold plated Hegar was passed to Barbara Bratton and her new Board of Directors at the conclusion of the conference as a way to transition from the end of one chapter in APSNA history to the beginning of the next.

The 2017-2018 Board of Directors:

• President – Barbara Bratton
• Immediate Past President – Janice Dudley
• Treasurer – Laura Saska
• Secretary – Monique Jenkins
• Director of Development – Gloria Collura
• Director of Practice and Quality – Betsy Gerrein
• Director of Education – Elizabeth Paton
• Director of Program – Kathy Leack

May 2016

San Diego, CA
Twenty-Fifth Annual Conference
May 12-15, 2016
Manchester Grand Hyatt

APSNA celebrated its 25th Anniversary in San Diego, CA for the 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting “Honoring the Past, Treasuring the Present and Shaping the Future.” It was APSNAs first 3-day conference. Conference set off with an innovative, educational Pre Conference Workshop held by the Trauma Special Interest Group (SIG). The Pre Conference Workshop included skills stations, case presentations and a state of the art talk on teen driving safety: “Pediatric Surgical Nurses and Teenage Drivers-Opportunities in Prevention” by Catherine C. McDonald, PhD, RN. The conference highlighted our continued collaboration with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) including an APSNA/NAPNAP speaker exchange presented by Andrea M. Kline-Tilford, MS, CPNP-AC/PC, FCCM on “My Patient Has Undergone Cardiac Surgery: Now What?” For the third year in a row, we had the APSNA/NAPNAP Joint session on the topic: “Pneumonia: Medical and Surgical Management” presented by Megan E. Trahan, MSN, CPNP- AC and Corrine Denworth, MS, RN, CPNP-AC. APSNA and APSA collaborated in 2016 for a joint educational session on Childhood Obesity. Lori Lynch, MSN, APRN, CPNP, CBN presented on the behalf of APSNA on “Care of the Patient with Obesity.”

APSNA kicked off the 25th Anniversary Celebration with a champagne toast! Raquel Pasarón, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC from Nicklaus Children’s Hospital was awarded the Founder’s Award and the Champion Award was presented to Steven Stylianos, MD.

We had two Trauma SIG Chairs named this year, Laurie Sands and Suzanne Kujawa from Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL. Fran Gill-Appiott and Susan Ziegfeld will remain as mentors to Laurie and Suzanne.

After member request, we moved back to a group mailing list format for member communication from a network forum structure.  The membership was delighted with the return of the “listserve!” The new listserve is named APSNAConnect.

The name of our committee chairs were changed to directors, and the Director At Large position name was changed to Director of Practice and Quality.

The APSNA telephone number became a 1-800 number and not the Membership Chair’s phone number, and within months of this, a live person was answering the APSNA phone line.

APSNA's focus for the 2015-2016 year continued on the transition of administrative tasks away from board members so that the Board can focus on governance.

Highlights included:

We completed incorporation status, re-application of tax-exempt status as an incorporated association and all related business transition related to the incorporated status.

We re-organized our bylaws and developed a plan for downsizing our board after a two-year review and planning phase, which was approved by our membership.

Entered a phase of organizational re-branding which included website and logo re-design.

After a two-year planning and research phase, we completed our Strategic Plan based on the IOM 4 Key Messages for Nursing.

We partnered with NAPNAP and SPN to complete the 2^nd edition of the Pediatric Nursing Scope and Standards and adopted this document as APSNA framework of practice.

We contracted with an Association Management company, IntrinXec, after a yearlong search, to outsource web administration and member database management, in the hopes to increase outsourcing.

Contracted professional services (Daszkal Bolton) for accounting and finances.

Worked with NAPNAP to provide a subscription package to our membership.

Developed a collaborative relationship with The Hendren Project.

Invited to participate in the Choosing Wisely Program.

Completed contractual agreement with publishing company and Editor in Chief, for organization’s first peer reviewed journal.

Revamped awards and grants application process to provide better member services.

Started Social Media engagement.

Started developing more robust fundraising efforts (such as the Giving Tuesday program).

Developed a formal Nominations Committee to address board restructuring and leadership development.

Collaborated with the American College of Surgeons and completed the central line tool kit.

Developed a clinical mentorship program for our membership.

Sponsored our 2^nd annual national awareness program - Distracted Driving Day in April 2016.

The Hegar, now 24K gold plated, was passed to Jan Dudley and her new Board of Directors at the end of the conference to begin the next chapter in APSNA history.

The 2016-2017 Board of Directors:

• President – Janice Dudley
• President Elect – Barbara Bratton
• Past President – Raquel Pasarón
• Treasurer – Maryellen Sheridan
• Secretary – Monique Jenkins
• Director of Development – Lori Lynch
• Director of Practice and Quality – Betsy Gerrein
• Director of Education – Elizabeth Paton
• Information Systems Chair – Carmen Duque
• Director of Program – Kathy Leack
• Director of Publications – Tina Shapiro

April 2015

Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Twenty-Fourth Annual Conference
April 27-30, 2015
Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa

The 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association (APSNA) “Pediatric Surgical Nursing: A Team Approach across the Continuum of Care” was just that! The conference highlighted our collaboration with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) including an APSNA/NAPNAP speaker exchange presented by Deborah Torowicz, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC on “Breastfeeding and the Surgical Infant.” For the second year in a row, we had the APSNA/NAPNAP Joint session on the topic: “Collaborative Care: Management of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease” presented by Maureen Kelly, MS, RN, CPNP and Laurie Sands MSN, RN, CPNP PC/AC. The four-day conference included speaker presentations, podium presentations, poster presentations, challenging case studies, and roundtable discussions.

The prestigious Founder’s Award Banquet was held indoors this year due to rainy weather, but the banquet remained a huge success. Neil Ead MSN, CPNP from Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island was presented the Founder’s Awards. The Champion Award was presented to Michael Hirsh, MD.

The special interest groups (SIGs) have been active this year. The Trauma SIG hosted a nationwide initiative titled “Distracted Driving Day” to promote better awareness to drivers and prevent distracted driving.  Neil Ead MSN, CPNP graciously took on the role of Legislative SIG chair as Muggs Helin retired from the position this year.  Margie Birdsong and Linda Zekas are now the co-chairs of the WOCN SIG.   At conference, the many SIGs that include pediatric obesity, trauma, legislative, perioperative, international, WOCN, and bowel management met to discuss the initiatives they have planned for the upcoming year.

Kim McIltrot has officially become the Editor in Chief of our Journal, “The Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing” published by LWW.  JPSN is on line and a benefit to all members.

The Program Committee continues to review evaluations from this year’s conference to provide a conference the membership will be excited for next spring 2016 in San Diego, CA.

The 2015-2016 Board of Directors:

• President – Raquel Pasarón
• President Elect – Janice Dudley
• Past President – Chris McKenna
• Treasurer – Maryellen Sheridan
• Secretary – Laurie Sands
• Development Chair – Lori Lynch
• Director at Large – Tish DeYoung
• Education Chair – Robin Deloach
• Information Systems Chair – Carmen Duque
• Membership Chair – Jenifer Reitsma
• Leadership Chair – Kim Cogley
• Program Chair – Kathy Leack
• Publications Chair – Tina Shapiro

May 2014

Phoenix, AZ
Twenty-Third Annual Conference
May 26 - 29, 2014
JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

The 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association "Kindling Synergy in Pediatric Surgical Care: Professional and Clinical Collaborative Practice" exceeded all expectations. The conference was off to an exciting start May 26th with a Pre- Conference workshop aimed at mentoring eager members of the organization on professional communication including writing for publication, poster development, and professional presentations. The three-day conference included podium presentations, poster presentations, challenging case studies, and roundtable discussions. APSNA was fortunate to have nationally known speakers Dr. Jo Manion as our Keynote Speaker and Susan Van Cleve representing NAPNAP speaking on Psychiatric Issues in Pediatrics. 2014 marked the first year for an APSNA/NAPNAP joint session that we plan to continue yearly moving forward.

At the prestigious Founder’s Award Banquet, Kim Mciltrot, DNP, CPNP, CWOCN from Johns Hopkins Hospital and Barbara Mariscal, MSN, RN, PNP from San Antonio Pediatric Surgery Associates were presented the Founder’s Award. The Champion Award was posthumously presented to Charles A. Lankau, Jr., MD and was graciously accepted by his son at the Founder’s Banquet.

APSNA utilized our first Audience Response System during our conference during an inactive session featuring four case studies as well as during the Business Meeting to vote on topics. This was a huge success. This year’s conference boasted over 170 attendees.

Membership continues to increase with over 700 active members, including a large number of triad members (APSNA, AORN, ANA). APSNA continues to offer grants to members including the Educational Grant, Research Scholarship, and Foster WOCN Grant to support members in their professional development. No grants/scholarships were awarded this year.

The seven special interest groups (SIG’s) have been active this year. The SIGs are pediatric obesity, trauma, legislative, perioperative, international, WOCN, and the addition of bowel management this year. The trauma SIG has written a policy statement on Distracted Driving this year. APSNA and APSA members participated in a GlobalCastMD presentation entitled, “Advanced Practice Providers Pediatric Surgery Update.” GlobalCastMD exists to create a low-cost of participation, virtual platform where medical and nursing professionals can attend world-class educational symposia from the comfort of their own home or office and for a fraction of the cost of a live show. This is available to national and international participants. APSNA supported this endeavor; the International SIG received funding to exhibit APSNA in this endeavor.

The third edition of our textbook "Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient" has been voted 2nd place in the Child Health category for the 2013 AJN Book of the Year Award. Our journal, "The Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing" (formerly "Sutureline") is now published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) under the direction of Kim McIltrot (our current Publication Chair and Editor in Chief) and the Publication Committee.

With the help of Sherwood, we have developed a new and innovative website that is top notch for members to use. The website is full of resources for members. The new "Members Networking Forum" on the website has replaced the previously used "Listserve" to help members more effectively communicate and provide a historical documentation of discussions for future reference.

This year also marked the first year we made some of our conference sessions available to members and non-members alike on-line. By partnering with NAPNAP, we used PNPSourCE NAPNAP's on-line software.  We made contact hour education available, for a nominal fee to members and non-members, expanding the pediatric surgical nursing expertise.

In 2014, APSNA was also represented and won the NIWI scholarship, making our Immediate Past President the 1st recipient of this grant and 3rd APSNA representative to attend this legislative educational opportunity.

APSNA was represented on the American College of Surgeons Patient Education Program.  This program provides the evidence-based knowledge, checklists and skills training to support patients with their preparation and optimal recovery. Each program explains, demonstrates and provides directed learning experiences and practice opportunities. Given in advance of surgery, it affords patients the opportunity of repetitive practice, and the confidence to actively participate in their pre- and postoperative care. Currently, an APSNA representative is on the central line kit patient education program.

Other highlights:

Contracted consultant for teambuilding workshop at the Fall Board Meeting.

Outsourcing of Website, online conference registration, expansion of member database, on site meeting planner vendor management with Management Company.

Restructuring of BOD to include redefining Board Role (Scope of Practice quality research), redistribution of work, and greater focus on governance in absence of staff support. Focus on member engagement strategies and leadership development. Integrate efforts of IOM report on Nursing into strategic plan. Review revision of strategic plan.

Optimizing impact on nursing practice in face of scarce resources.

Membership engagement/leadership development.

The Program Committee is working hard to provide an exciting and innovative conference next spring 2015 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

The 2014-2015 Board of Directors:

• President – Chris McKenna
• President Elect – Raquel Pasarón
• Past President – Neil Ead
• Treasurer – Barbara Bratton
• Secretary – Laurie Sands
• Development Chair – Natalie Walker
• Director at Large – Tish DeYoung
• Education Chair – Robin Deloach
• Information Systems Chair – Margie Birdsong
• Membership Chair – Jenifer Reitsma
• Leadership Chair– Kim Cogley
• Program Chair – Kathy Leack
• Publications Chair – Kim Mciltrot

May 2013

Marco Island, FL
Twenty-Second Annual Conference
April 29-May 2, 2013
Marco Island Marriott Beach Golf Club and Spa

The 2013 annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association sailed to new horizons in Marco Island, Florida. It convened April 29- May 2, 2013 at the JW Marriott Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort and, golf Club & Spa under the direction of Raquel Pasarón, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC, the program chair. The three-day conference included nationally known speakers from two of our collaborating nursing organizations- Linda Groah, Executive Director/CEO of AORN and Mary Chesney, Clinical Assistant Professor, Director of the DNP Program University of Minnesota and Health Policy Chair representing NAPNAP as part of our first APSNA/NAPNAP speaker collaboration. In addition, two plenary sessions were presented by two of our special interest groups (SIGs) on trauma and pediatric obesity. There were eighteen posters and record vendor support.

New this year was registration, coordinated by the Sherwood-Group. Participants also had the ability to access WI-FI during presentations to view speaker materials as well as completing evaluations through Express Evaluations in real time. Our first silent auction for research was held, coordinated by Liz Hood-Schmidt, MSN, CPNP, and was quite successful earning $1400 towards our fund. The annual research walk raised an additional $1245.

Other highlights:

Membership has increased with 632 active members, with 325 triad members (APSNA, AORN, ANA). The six special interest groups (SIGs) have been active with their own listserves. They are pediatric obesity, trauma, legislative, perioperative, international and a newly formed WOCN.

Our APSNA President, Ellen O’Donnell attended, via invitation, the NAPNAP annual meeting this year.

Sales of our textbook “Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient" have been brisk.

The name of our online journal "Sutureline" has been changed to "The Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing (JPSN).”

At the prestigious Founder’s Award Banquet, held beachfront with the beautiful Florida West Coast sunset canvasing the celebration, Nancy Thompson MS, RN, CPNP from Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond, Virginia was presented with the Founder’s Award.

APSNA had its first SIG project this year, a Haitian Nurse was chosen in collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) to participate in a weeklong immersion experience at MCH. The Champion Award was presented to Dr. Henri Ford, from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, who facilitated this International Nursing program spearheaded by Jenny Kreiss, MSN, PNP-BC.

The best poster award was presented to Tish DeYoung, MSN, CPNP-AC/PC, Miller Children’s Hospital, Long Beach, California for "Pediatric Traumatic Duodenal Injury: Review of Mechanism of Injury, Anatomic Review, Case Presentation and Clinical Management".

There were no grants awarded for the educational, research or WOCN.

The Hegar was passed on in a new wooden case from Ellen O’Donnell, RN, MSN, CPNP-P current outgoing president to Neil Ead, MSN, CPNP, incoming president from Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island. We also welcomed the new board of directors.

Our upcoming conference in 2014 will be held in Phoenix, Arizona at the JW Marriott Ridge Resort and Spa May 26-29, 2014.

The 2013-2014 Board of Directors:

• President – Neil Ead
• President Elect – Chris McKenna
• Past President – Ellen O’Donnell
• Treasurer – Barbara Bratton
• Secretary – Karen Rodriguez
• Development Chair – Natalie Walker
• Director at Large – Nancy Thomson
• Education Chair – Robin Deloach
• Information Systems Chair – Margie Birdsong
• Membership Chair – Melanie Hanlon
• Leadership Chair – Liz Hood
• Program Chair – Raquel Pasarón
• Publications Chair – Kim Mciltrot

May 2012

San Antonio, TX
Twenty-First Annual Conference
May 19-20, 2012
JW Marriott Resort

The 2012 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association in San Antonio, Texas completed another year of growth for our organization. It convened in May 2012 at the J. W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa, under the direction of Janice Dudley, program chair. The three-day conference included educational offerings under four section headings to include fetal surgery, surgical oncology, neonatal surgery and pediatric surgery clinical updates. There were 14 poster presentations and increased vendor support.

Under the guidance of Jenny Kreiss, president, and the Board of Directors, collaboration with APSA continues. A joint educational offering is planned with APSA for 2013 in Marco Island Florida.

Collaboration continues with AORN with 281 Triad memberships (APSNA, AORN, ANA). APSNA membership increased to 562 members.

There are now five special interest groups active in APSNA with their own listserves. They are Bariatric, Trauma, Legislative and Perioperative. Jenny Kreiss formed the fifth, a new International SIG.

The president attended NAPNAP and represented APSNA as a participant in the executive board general session and promoted partnership ideas, which were well received. Three members attended the Nursing Organizations Alliance fall summit in Miami, Florida.

The 3rd Edition of our textbook "Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient" was completed and offered at the conference. An author book signing reception was held and well attended by the membership.

We received notification from ANA that our Scope and Standards application needed revision, and possibly would be denied due to its "hybrid" or subspecialty perceived practice.

At the prestigious Founder’s Banquet Muggs Helin MS, RN, PNP-BC from American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin was presented with the Founder’s award. The Research grant was awarded to John Murray from Children’s Hospital Boston in Boston, Massachusetts, and Tamara Meeker from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Education grant was awarded to Stedman McPeters from Tennessee Valley Pediatric Surgeons in Huntsville, Alabama. There were no applications for the Foster WOCN grant.

The Hegar was passed to Ellen O’Donnell RN, MSN, CPNP, from Children’s Hospital Boston in Boston, Massachusetts and the new Board of Directors at the end of the conference.

The next chapter will continue in Marco Island, Florida April 29-May 2, 2013.

The 2012-2013 Board of Directors:

• President – Ellen O’Donnell
• President Elect – Neil Ead
• Past President – Jenny Kreiss
• Treasurer – Barbara Mariscal
• Secretary – Karen Rodriguez
• Development Chair – Rosalind Caldwell
• Director at Large – Nancy Thomson
• Education Chair – Robin Deloach
• Information Systems Chair – Margie Birdsong
• Membership Chair – Melanie Hanlon
• Nominations Chair – Liz Hood
• Program Chair – Raquel Pasarón
• Publications Chair – Kim Mciltrot

May 2011

Palm Desert, CA
Twentieth Annual Conference
May 19-22, 2011
Palm Desert Resort and Spa  

The 2011 Annual Scientific meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association marked the 20th anniversary of the organization. It capped a yearlong celebration of the progress the organization has made since the first conversations between Diane Jakobowski, Gail Garvin and 31 nurses twenty years ago.

APSNA membership increased to 514 members with the increasingly popular triad membership (APSNA/AORN/ANA). Recognition of pediatric surgical nursing as a specialty by the American Nurses Association became very close with development of scope and standards by Muggs Helin, past president, Rosaline Darty and a task force of committed members. All requirements should be complete for recognition by the end of 2011. President Lynne Farber and Muggs Helin also continued to represent APSNA at the invitation only, Institute for Pediatric Nursing, chairing the Patient Advocacy task force. Contact with CMS at the national level enabled this group to improve funding for home supplies for our ostomy patients. Four Special Interest groups are active within APSNA, each with their own listserv. They are Bariatrics, Legislative, Trauma and Peri-op.

The 20th Scientific meeting convened in May 2011 at the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs resort in Palm Desert, California, under the direction of Janice Dudley, program chair. Lynne Farber, president; Muggs Helin, past president; and Neil Ead, Education chair; were among the speakers at the first joint session with APSA on the third day of the conference. All the presentations for the joint session addressed aspects of the care of the child with Intestinal failure. The three-day conference also included 17 poster presentations and increased vendor support. The highlight of the conference was the annual Founder’s Banquet celebrating the 20th anniversary. Twelve former APSNA presidents were in attendance as were 12 former Founder’s Award winners. The winner of the first Foster grant for WOCN's was announced, Elizabeth Vaughn from Vanderbilt. The 2011 Research grant was awarded to Raquel Pasarón from Miami Children's Hospital and the Education grant was presented Monica Lasso Cuestas, from Bogota, Colombia. The 2011 Founder’s Award recipient was Chris McKenna from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Moritz Ziegler was the recipient of the first APSNA "Champion Award" in recognition of his assistance in the formation and recognition of APSNA. Incoming president, Jenny Kreiss, received the Hegar and announced plans to focus on international initiatives in her term.

The next twenty years are bright with promise for improvement in the care of children throughout the world!

The 2011-2012 Board of Directors:

• President – Jenny Kreiss
• President Elect – Ellen O’Donnell
• Past President – Lynne Farber
• Treasurer – Barbara Mariscal
• Secretary – Raquel Pasarón
• Development Chair – Rosalind Caldwell
• Director at Large – Cyndi Bishop
• Education Chair – Neil Ead
• Information Systems Chair – Margie Birdsong
• Membership Chair – Laura Resch
• Nominations Chair – Susan Ziegfeld
• Program Chair – Jan Dudley
• Publications Chair – Kim Mciltrot

May 2010

Orlando, FL
Nineteenth Annual Conference
May 13-16, 2010
Loews Portofino Hotel at Universal Studios

The 19th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association in Orlando, Florida completed another year of expansion for APSNA. Influence, visibility, collaboration and outreach all increased!

Under the guidance of Muggs Helin, president, and the Board of Directors, collaboration with APSA increased with plans under way for a joint educational half-day session at the 2011 conference. APSNA will also take a more active role in conference site planning and arrangements for conferences with APSA in the future.

Collaboration with AORN also continues with 44 members currently holding Triad memberships and an APSNA member speaking at the AORN Congress in Denver this year.

Muggs represented APSNA at the Nursing Alliance Fall Summit on Healthcare Reform. She also attended the first PNCB Invitational Forum for pediatric nursing leaders and is serving on a task force as a part of that initiative. Inclusion in such a prestigious group is wonderful affirmation of the mission and progress of APSNA as a leading nursing organization.

Further affirmation will come with recognition of Pediatric Surgical Nursing as a specialty practice group. Muggs Helin and Rosaline Darty are leading a group seeking recognition from the American Nurses Association. Standards of Practice have been completed as the first step, with recognition by 2011 as the goal!

Our commitment to education continues to grow with the third edition of our textbook, Nursing Care of the Pediatric Surgical Patient, under development and CME's for Physician Assistants offered for the first time at the annual conference. (Kudos Nancy Thompson). Carolyn Ross and Beth Zimmerman are working with our publisher, Jones and Bartlett, to develop on line skills education for nurses.

Membership grew with 67 new members and 385 members total. Happily, this includes 24 international members, 9 of whom attended conference from Canada, United Kingdom, Norway and Israel. APSNA members were among teams providing aid to earthquake victims in Haiti and mission groups to other areas of the world.

The annual conference convened at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando on May 13th. Muggs Helin stressed the importance of leadership and its potential in all of us in her Presidential address to start the conference. Dr. Marcia Ryder gave the keynote address, "Targeting Zero Catheter-Related Blood Stream Infections". There was great interest in the evidence she presented on a topic of great importance to healthcare providers in 2010. Other conference highlights included the first presentation by and about the "Physician Assistant, The Other Midlevel Provider" and "Living with Hirschsprung's Disease in Norway" presented by two of our international members, Ragne Sletbakk and Astrid Ingeborg Austrheim. 18 speakers, oral abstracts and poster presentations rounded out the conference attended by 123 members.

The highlight of the annual Founder’s Banquet was the presentation of Founder’s Awards to two very deserving winners and past APSNA presidents, Linda Haga, retired from Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and Beth Zimmerman, retired from University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. The APSNA Educational Grant was presented to Raquel Pasarón from Miami.

The Hegar was passed to Lynne Farber and her new Board of Directors at the end of the conference to begin the next chapter in APSNA history.

The 2010-2011 Board of Directors:

• President – Lynne Farber
• President Elect – Jenny Kreiss
• Past President – Muggs Helin
• Treasurer – Nancy Jacobs
• Secretary – Raquel Pasarón
• Development Chair – Steadman McPeters
• Director at Large – Cyndi Bishop
• Education Chair – Neil Ead
• Information Systems Chair – Brenda Middlebrooks
• Membership Chair – Laura Resch
• Nominations Chair – Susan Ziegfeld
• Program Chair – Jan Dudley
• Publications Chair – Kris Roberts

May 2009

Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Eighteenth Annual Conference
May 25-28, 2009
El Conquistador Resort

2009 was an excellent year for APSNA! APSNA continued to build strong relationships with professional national healthcare organizations such as the Association for Operating Room Nurses (AORN), the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Nursing Organizations Alliance (NALA), and the American Pediatric Surgeons Association (APSA).

For the first time ever, our annual conference was held outside of the continental United States. Conference participants flew to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico for an outstanding three-day meeting. The conference included 31 scientific posters, twelve oral abstracts, and over twenty speakers on topics ranging from the clinical management of pediatric surgery diagnoses to professional practice issues. Our APSNA President, Jeanette Zerpa, started the conference off by inspiring members with her presidential address. Jeanette revealed true patient stories, "defining moments", that have had a profound effect on her nursing career and her life.

Ellen O’Donnell RN, MSN, CPNP, from Boston Children’s Hospital, received the prestigious Founder’s Award for 2009 at the annual awards banquet. Pam Pieper PhD, ARNP, PNP-BC and Tina Shapiro-Stoler PhD, MSN, ARNP were the recipients of APSNA Research Award Grants. Amy Brown RN, BSN, Seattle Children’s Hospital, was voted as the Poster Presentation Award winner for 2009.

Three historically significant events also occurred at this conference. Our APSNA President, Jeanette Zerpa, spoke by invitation to the pediatric surgeons at the opening session for APSA, defining the membership and goals of APSNA, encouraging the physicians’ recruitment of their nursing colleagues, and advocating for more collaboration between both organizations. APSA and APSNA held their first joint session, a panel discussion on the development of Pediatric Bariatric Surgery programs.

The very first APSNA position statement, regarding the use of ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) by children was drafted and revised by Fran Gill and Susan Ziegfield. The APSNA membership voted overwhelmingly in favor of adopting this position statement, making APSNA the first nursing organization to take a stand on this public safety issue.

In response to members’ inquiries in 2008, APSNA is pursuing recognition as a nursing specialty through ANA, which may eventually lead to certification in the specialty of pediatric surgery nursing. 2009 was a wonderfully productive year for APSNA and a very exciting time to be a member of this organization.

The 2009-2010 Board of Directors:

• President – Muggs Helin
• President Elect – Lynne Farber
• Past President – Jeannette Diana
• Treasurer – Nancy Jacobs
• Secretary – Cyndi Bishop
• Development Chair – Steadman McPeters
• Director at Large – Debbi Thomson
• Education Chair – Nancy Thompson
• Information Systems Chair – Brenda Middlebrooks
• Membership Chair – Jackie Cronau
• Nominations Chair – Sofia Morales
• Program Chair – Jenny Kreiss
• Publications Chair – Kris Roberts

May 2008

Phoenix, AZ
Seventeenth Annual Conference
May 26-29, 2008
JW Marriott Dessert Ridge Resort and Spa

This has been one of the most incredible years ever for APSNA. It seems that "all the stars lined up" for ideas to become reality, ideas that had been many years in formulation. The APSNA Board of Directors for the first time met in person bi-annually, in November of 2007 in Orlando, for an intensive weekend of hammering out a strategic plan for APSNA. The innovative approach trialed at that meeting resulted in so much work accomplished and so many ideas being tossed around that it is almost certain to become the norm for the Board for years to come.

This year’s hard work led APSNA to develop a relationship with AORN. APSNA and AORN members now have the option of joining each other’s organizations and ANA all at the same time. After talks with AORN, both groups realized the value of working together for the good of our shared pediatric patients. ANA leaders were so impressed with the fact that APSNA is directed by volunteers and has been able to accomplish so much, such as a textbook, a second edition of the textbook and a handbook. 

APSNA and APSA have made a decision to partner to support optimal pediatric surgical nursing care. This has been a goal for years, but to see the enthusiasm with which we are being embraced by the surgeon’s organization is so exciting. As we work together to ensure both organizations are going in the same direction we should see amazing things happen. 

We saw a deeper collaborative relationship develop between Pediatric Nursing (the journal) and APSNA. APSNA, in the person of Fran Gill, will be an invited speaker at the Pediatric Nursing Conference this year.

APSNA began to investigate public policy and had Board representation as Susan Ziegfeld attended the "Nurse in Washington" course. We hope to begin making our voices heard through political means as we try to impact pediatric care.

We officially recognized the Bariatric Surgery Special Interest Group. These nurses have a passion for helping kids caught up in the obesity epidemic. This group has collaborated with APSA to develop a position statement that will serve these children and the medical and surgical community.

Through generous donations, we were able to set up the Foster WOCN Grant and the Flanigan Grant. Liz Foster made a donation to set up a fund to assist members who have a desire to develop their skills and further their education in the area of enterostomal and wound care therapy. Another fund was established in honor of Laura Flanigan by her surgeon upon the occasion of her retirement. This fund will create a monetary award that will be given to the winner of the poster submissions at each conference.

APSNA developed its first organizational policies.

The APSNA phone number became the Membership Chair’s phone number.

Our address officially became the same address as the APSA headquarters.  This provided a physical address for APSNA, and no longer a PO BOX in Pittsburgh, PA.

Now for the conference! Ellen O’Donnell and her committee did a fabulous job making all the arrangements that are necessary to pull off a conference of this magnitude. We had the largest group, ever, to attend this West Coast conference.

The 17th Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix began with a welcome reception for new members. The following morning a fabulous Presidential address by Fran Gill inspired us and moved us to laughter and tears with many reflections on childhood and childhood memories. Attendees enjoyed two and a half days of presentations on diverse topics such as "Evidence Based Practice," "Vascular Anomalies," "Pilonidal Cysts," "Name That Diagnosis," "Electronic Medical Records,” "Abdominal Tumors," "The Adolescent Lap Band Journey," "Biliary Atresia," and "Omegaven, a Fish-Oil Based Fat Emulsion."

Our annual Awards Banquet recognized two staff nurses with the first-ever "Clinical Spotlight Awards." The 2008 APSNA Founder’s Award winner was Lynne Farber, RN, MSN, CPNP from UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

On the second conference morning Betty Kasson motivated us with her presentation on "Discovering Leadership in Pediatric Surgical Nurses." On the third morning of the conference approximately fifty members participated in the Annual Walk for Research in beautiful sunny Phoenix. Following the walk, conference attendees participated in four concurrent "hands-on" sessions on: Enteral tubes, Ostomy Care, Burns, and Public Speaking. The conference concluded with promises by all to try to meet in Puerto Rico in 2009, to renew our friendships, our organization and our education in pediatric surgery.

The 2008-2009 Board of Directors:

• President – Jeannette Diana
• President Elect – Muggs Helin
• Past President – Fran Gill
• Treasurer – Carolyn Ross
• Secretary – Cyndi Bishop
• Development Chair – Susan Ziegfeld
• Director at Large – Debbi Thomson
• Education Chair – Nancy Thompson
• Information Systems Chair – Lynne Farber
• Membership Chair – Jackie Cronau
• Nominations Chair – Sofia Morales
• Program Chair – Jenny Kreiss
• Publications Chair – Pam Jones

May 2007

Orlando, FL
Sixteenth Annual Conference
May 21-24, 2007
JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes

Orlando! Land of magic and fantasy!

It truly seemed that our planners pulled off a feat of magic when this year’s conference was over. With hardly a hitch, things moved along as hoped. The posters and presentations have become more and more professional and very scientific. Attendees are able to leave with new ideas, new information and new contacts. The vendors seem to be very glad to teach us how to better take care of our clients.

We were made to feel very welcome and comfortable in our surroundings. All the Marriott staff was helpful and friendly. They really seemed to appreciate nurses!

This year will be remembered as the one in which we realized we have truly come into our own as a respected, worthwhile and financially sound organization. We had exceptional vendor support and high-quality speakers. We were able to give ourselves, as an organization, a raise for the first time in many years. We will also begin receiving Pediatric Nursing without charge, in addition to our already wonderful Sutureline. 

The conference was fantastic but not a fantasy. It doesn’t take magic to do what we have done. It takes hard work and a belief in us. Every member should congratulate himself or herself on this conference. You are the magic.

The 2007-2008 Board of Directors:

• President – Fran Gill
• President Elect – Jeannette Diana
• Past President – Linda Haga
• Treasurer – Carolyn Ross
• Secretary – Leona Burnham
• Development Chair – Susan Ziegfeld
• Director at Large – Beverly Haynes
• Education Chair – Tracy McTiernan
• Information Systems Chair – Lynne Farber
• Membership Chair – Linda Adams
• Nominations Chair – Beth Wallace
• Program Chair – Ellen O’Donnell
• Publications Chair – Debbi Thomson

May 2006

Hilton Head, SC
Fifteenth Annual Conference
May 18-21, 2006
Hilton Head Marriott Beach and Golf Resort

The APSNA conference this year was served up with Southern warmth and hospitality. As common as the Spanish moss in the trees were the praises for the quality of the program. There were a record number of attendees and they hailed from both inside and outside the borders of the United States. We have much of which to be proud. Donna Nowicki deserves much praise for pulling together such a great event and Patti Smith needs a pat on the back for soliciting the superb amount of vendor support we had this year. Without their diligence we would not have had this up-to-date conference.

Beth Zimmerman welcomed us with an inspiring address that reminded us how we are influenced by and in turn influence our environment. We learned that we have accomplished a lot this past year as an organization. Fran Gill reported that through much picking over of documentation and much patience on her part, we were awarded ANCC accreditation. Nancy Jacobs was able to complete work previously begun and now we have tax-exempt status. Nancy Tkacz Browne was enthusiastic with praise for all the editors, team members, authors and artists who have spent countless hours developing the second edition of our textbook. She reports that the work is "in the queue" for publication and we should have a finished product by fall.

After a wonderful low-country boil on the terrace Saturday night, we were given the chance to honor several of our own. Valerie Rogers received an educational scholarship toward her doctoral pursuit. Cynthia Bishop, Patti Smith and Lani Wolfe received research grant money for a multi-institutional study. We were treated with the reading of two very moving letters of recommendation for Founder’s Award praising Nancy Tkacz Browne and Laura Phearman. It must have been an incredibly difficult decision by the committee but Nancy T. Browne was the recipient of this year's Founder’s Award. 

Sunday morning saw a large number of members who turned out for our annual research walk. The beach was fabulous that morning and a great way to start the day. If you were a part of this year's conference you will know that this can only serve as an incomplete review of everything that there was to see, hear, taste and experience. If you were not able to join us, make sure your calendar is cleared for next year in Orlando! 

The 2006-2007 Board of Directors:

• President – Linda Haga
• President Elect – Fran Gill
• Past President – Beth Zimmerman
• Treasurer – Nancy Jacobs
• Secretary – Leona Burnham
• Development Chair – Patti Smith
• Director at Large – Beverly Haynes
• Education Chair – Tracy McTiernan
• Information Systems Chair – Angie Landholm
• Membership Chair – Linda Adams
• Nominations Chair– Beth Wallace
• Program Chair – Ellen O’Donnell
• Publications Chair– Debbi Thomson

April 2005

Phoenix, AZ
Fourteenth Annual Conference
May 26-29, 2005
Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

Our membership has grown in numbers and diversity. We boast international members and are now reaching out to other organizations with similar interests. Our members make it all possible.

Clearly, this year has been a whirlwind of productivity thanks to the strong leadership of our President Pam Pieper and the hard work of our Officers, Committee Chairs and APSNA members. Past President Carmel McComiskey and Pam continued to refine the roles of our board members with the final revision of our job descriptions and the creation of timelines and a mentoring process to help usher in new blood. President Elect Beth Zimmerman will continue this vision as we proceed into her term.

Linda Haga our Information Technology Chair continues to increase our communication among board members with our board group listserv. She also continues to find ways to offer more and more benefits to our members through our website. Lynne Farber has done wonders with Sutureline. Our newsletter has been brilliantly formatted for online display and available to all members on the website. 

Our re-application for tax-exempt status has moved forward under the direction of our Treasurer, Chris McKenna. The role of Treasurer is a monumental job and Chris has done a tremendous amount of work this year to oversee our organization's finances. Under the direction of Nominations Chair Lani Wolfe, we have created a more objective method for selecting our Founder’s Award recipients. We were delighted to add Betty Kasson to our distinguished list of Founder’s Award recipients.

One of my greatest pleasures as Director at Large was to bring to fruition the APSNA Research and Education Grant Award. Renee Manworren received the Research Grant for her patient controlled analgesia project and Lori Young received the Education Grant to help with tuition toward her BSN.

Our annual meeting continues to be the highlight of the year. Putting together a program like this takes a tremendous amount of work all year for the Program Chair, Education Chair and their committee members. We all enjoyed another world-class meeting due to the tireless and diligent leadership of our Program Chair, Donna Nowicki. Beth Jarosz our Development Chair relentlessly pursued the support of vendors ensuring some healthy support to help subsidize a very costly event.

Lastly, Nancy Tkacz Browne has formed a group to begin the work of revising our textbook Nursing Care of the General Pediatric Surgical Patient, therefore a second edition. Original and new authors will participate in this project. Four teams have been assembled to oversee the project: Nancy Tkacz and Lynne Farber, Carmel McComiskey and Betty Kasson, Laura Flanigan and Fran Gill, and Pam Pieper and Jeannette Diana. Stay tuned for an update next year!!

At the Business Meeting, the monographs were retired. Over time, the monographs have been lost and/or original authors have not been able to be identified.  The information existing will be incorporated into the textbook.  APSNA efforts are to focus on textbook revision.

The 2005-2006 Board of Directors: 

• President – Beth Zimmerman
• President Elect – Linda Hagan
• Past President – Pam Pieper
• Treasurer – Nancy Jacobs
• Secretary – Kathy Leack
• Development Chair – Patti Smith
• Director at Large – Neil Ead
• Education Chair – Fran Gill
• Information Systems Chair – Angie Landholm
• Membership Chair – Muggs Helin
• Nominations Chair – Beth Wallace
• Program Chair – Donna Nowicki
• Publications Chair – Debbi Thomson

May 2004

Jacksonville, FL
Thirteenth Annual Conference
May 24-27, 2004
Pontevedra Beach Resort

2003-2004 was a year of rapid growth for APSNA. Our web site has undergone continued improvement under the leadership of Linda Haga. Each year members have more and more electronic access to APSNA benefits and services. In collaboration with our Publications Chair Lynne Farber, Linda oversaw the development of our online newsletter. Members now have access to the research and scholarship grant applications through the web site. We will be awarding our first Research and Scholarship funds in 2004-2005 The Board is delighted to see this member benefit finally come to fruition.

The Sawgrass Marriott was the site of our annual meeting this year. Karen Iacono put together another stellar conference. The quality of our educational offerings is top notch and the receptions and dinner were uniformly outstanding. Members participated in our second walk for research. This fundraiser continues to be a huge success. The Founder’s Award was presented to Jeanette Dianna this year. The selection process for the Founder’s Award is difficult to say the least. Each year the selection committee struggles with choosing between very talented nominees. This process will undergo major revision this year under the leadership of Lani Wolfe our Nominations Chair.

Elections were held in the Fall this year for the first time rather than the Winter.

The first “Weaving through the Web,” a useful guide to help members navigate the APSNA website and listserve was developed.

Our board continues to work to refine the workings and structure of our organization. The APSNA bylaws underwent major revisions. The extensive changes were voted on at our business meeting this year. We plan to tighten up the job descriptions of all board members and re-submit our application for tax-exempt status.

The 2004-2005 Board of Directors:

• President – Pam Pieper
• President Elect – Beth Zimmerman
• Past President – Kelli Burns Young
• Treasurer – Chris McKenna
• Secretary – Kathy Leack
• Development Chair – Beth Jarosz
• Director at Large – Neil Ead
• Education Chair – Fran Gill
• Information Systems Chair – Linda Haga
• Membership Chair – Muggs Helin
• Nominations Chair – Lani Wishni Wolfe
• Program Chair – Donna Nowicki
• Publications Chair – Lynne Farber

May 2003

Fort Lauderdale, FL
Twelfth Annual Conference
May 22-24, 2003
Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa

Our organization continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Membership has increased to almost three hundred and over one-third of our members were registered for conference this year. Kudos to our program chair Karen Iacono who began her first year as program chair for orchestrating a first rate program. We enjoyed two and one-half days of cutting edge educational offerings and great social events.

We held a "Walk for Research" to raise money for our research gift fund. Members participated in an exhilarating morning walk along Fort Lauderdale Beach. We hope to include this as a yearly fund raising event. Plans were soon underway to hold our second event in Jacksonville next year.

The overall theme this year has been one of broad sweeping change throughout the organization. Under the capable leadership of our President Melinda Klar, a strategic planning session was held at our Pre-Conference Board Meeting. A vision statement was derived from that brain storming session. That statement was further refined and dovetailed into major revisions to our Bylaws. This has opened the door to even further organizational growth. 

Those members who came to enjoy shopping at the APSNA store were disappointed to find that our store would be closing its doors for the last time. Revenues continued to diminish over the years and the costs of shipping items to our conference each year further diminished profits. We will continue to explore other sources of revenue with the goal being increasing member services.

The Web-Master position was converted to a Standing Committee Chair on the board. Our website underwent monumental changes under the direction of Linda Haga. She worked tirelessly with our new web designers at Triad Communication to develop our site. Online services expanded to include membership renewal, conference registration, links to education and publications as well as many other options now available to members at the stroke of a key. 

Two multi-center studies continued, one lead by Loni Wishnie, “Impact Study: Is Self-perception Related to Timing of Social Bowel Continence Among Children with Anorectal Malformations or Hirschsprung’s Disease,” and a second study group on granulation tissue around gastrostomy tube sites, led by Jenny Kreiss. Beth Zimmerman conducted an APSNA salary survey.

Elections were held on-line for the first time!

We continue to expand our outreach on the international front. Our Director At Large Neil Ead was invited to speak at the Turkish Pediatric Surgical Nurses Conference in San Liurfa, Turkey. He gave two presentations. Abdominal Wall Defects, Tracheo-Esophageal Fistulae and Esophageal Atresia and Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. This was a fantastic opportunity to put APSNA on the map. Overall a pretty remarkable year! 

The 2003-2004 Board of Directors:

• President – Kelli Burns Young
• President Elect – Pam Pieper
• Past President – Melinda Klar
• Treasurer – Chris McKenna
• Secretary – Tracey England
• Development Chair – Beth Jarosz
• Director at Large – Neil Ead
• Education Chair – Fran Gill
• Information Systems Chair – Linda Haga
• Membership Chair – Nan Lim-Sulit
• Nominations Chair – Lani Wishni Wolfe
• Program Chair – Karen Iacono
• Publications Chair – Lynne Farber

May 2002

Phoenix, AZ
Eleventh Annual Conference
May 17th and 18th, 2002
Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa

Under the direction of program chair Kelli Burns Young completing her term as program chair our conference was yet again a huge success. The program continues to grow and is now two full days. Our educational offerings this year were stellar in keeping with our tradition of excellence in program development. There were a variety of receptions throughout the conference providing a variety of opportunities for members to network and renew old friendships. We hosted our first international member Erica Thomas to our meeting opening the doors for further expansion of our membership. Our organization continues to grow though technology and evidence based practice; hence the theme of this year seems to be one of continued growth and innovation.

Our website continues to undergo major evolution increasing access for our members through the worldwide web. Our history is now recorded on digital images and those are available to members by e-mail. We look forward to being able to post these images on our web site in the future. Members are planning two major multi-center research projects. Onsite coordinators met at poolside to work out the details of IRB review.

Our fund raising activities are flourishing. We fine-tuned the criteria for research and scholarship awards and hope to make those awards available to members over the coming years. The APSNA store continues to flourish and continues to be a source of revenue. These funds are being placed in interest bearing accounts until such time that they can be disbursed to benefit our members.

Members were given calculators with the APSNA logo as their member gift this year. Membership renewals were available on-line for the first time.

The 2002-2003 Board of Directors:

• President – Melinda Klar
• President Elect – Kelli Burns Young
• Past President – Laura Flanigan
• Treasurer – Barbara Mariscal
• Secretary – Tracey England
• Development Chair – Tina Shapiro
• Director at Large – Neil Ead
• Education Chair – Fran Gill
• Information Systems Chair – Linda Haga
• Membership Chair – Nan Lim-Sulit
• Nominations Chair – Jeannette Diana
• Program Chair – Karen Iacono
• Publications Chair – Lynne Farber

May 2001

Naples, FL
Tenth Annual Conference
May 18th and 19th, 2001
The Registry Resort

Our meeting this year was again a success thanks to the hard work of our Program Chair Kelli Burns Young. Our membership and attendance at our annual meeting continues to grow. This year our organization boasted 248 members. Under the strong leadership of our president Laura Flanigan we kicked of our annual meeting at the Registry in Naples Florida. Through some untoward turn of events our Board members were not registered at the Registry and we spent our first night at another area hotel preparing for the full schedule of committee meetings the next day. Melodie Chenovert, our keynote speaker, provided us with an entertaining start to our meeting. Members enjoyed many quality presentations. Breakout sessions were planned this year allowing us to diversify content and offer members more choices.

The APSNA store continues to be a popular stop in the exhibit area, but our inventory continues to diminish. The organization achieved a major milestone this year with the publication our new textbook which went on sale at the APSNA store. Fifty copies were sold and thirty-three orders taken.  All the contributing authors received a complimentary copy.  This was the first nursing book addressing general pediatric surgical care.

Vendor participation continues to grow under the direction of Tina Shapiro our development chair. This work is crucial to the success of our meeting. Members were treated to receptions and that provided opportunities to network with colleagues and unwind from the day’s events. All things considered members had good reason to return home energized. 

The 2001-2002 Board of Directors:

• President – Laura Flanigan
• President Elect – Melinda Klar
• Past President – Liz Foster
• Treasurer – Barbara Mariscal
• Secretary – Marie Esposito
• Development Chair – Tina Shapiro
• Director at Large – Luanne Peluso
• Education Chair – Marti Fledderman
• Membership Chair – Susan Olson
• Nominations Chair – Jeannette Diana
• Program Chair – Kelli Burns Young
• Publications Chair – Teri Crawley-Coha

May 2000

Lake Buena Vista, FL
Ninth Annual Conference
May 23rd and 24th, 2000
The Walt Disney World Swan Hotel

Under the direction of Program Chair Colleen Nespor, wrapping up her second year in term, the theme for this year’s meeting was Our Past, Our Future!! With the turn of the century we took the time to look back at how far we had come in the world of Pediatric Surgery and we looked to the future to see what was awaiting us from beyond.

On Monday evening we met for a welcoming wine and cheese to review posters, browse through the store and begin committee meetings. Early Tuesday Peter Alsop gave our keynote address, "Feeling the Family Pulse". We shared humorous sing-alongs and anecdotes and he shared insights on how make a commitment to self-growth and gaining clarity for ourselves and our own families, while we have relationships with our patients and coworkers. Nan Lim-Sulit and Kelli Burns moderated the very interesting Case Study presentations where we discussed 5 very challenging cases, including an 8-year-old with relapse Wilm’s Tumor, a two-day old with Necrotizing Enterocolitis, a case of laryngeal atresia, a newborn with multiple anomalies and a trauma presentation. Later, Laura San Miguel and Mary Petrriccone from Sloan Kettering gave an excellent presentation on Pediatric Oncology, where we have been, where we are going: Focus on Neuroblastoma and Neuro-Oncology.

A stimulating Presidential Address by Carmel Mc Comiskey highlighted our lunch break, as always she made us laugh and cry and remember why she was voted our president for the millennium.

That afternoon the closing lecture was by Leah Harrison who gave us a new look at the everlasting epidemic of child abuse. She provided us with signs, symptoms and red flags of child abuse in order to diagnose and protect the victimized child.

After an always informative and stimulating business meeting the group was dismissed and given time to swim in the refreshing pool under the unbearably hot sunny afternoon. Many were seen napping; others were getting a few hours in to see Mickey and Minnie. That evening a delicious dinner banquet was served and members brought spouses, friends and children to the event, it was a great success with many laughs and lots of idea sharing.

Wednesday began with Dr. Marshall Schwartz taking us through the evolution in the management of short bowel syndrome, covering medical and surgical management, along with where the future lies with growth factors and gene therapy. The clinical abstract session was a new and very well received session in which Jeanette Diana and Tina Shapiro presented nitrous oxide and oxygen analgesia, Kelly Hummer presented day before vs. same day consents for drug trial, and Renee Manworren presented pediatric nurses knowledge and attitudes about pain management. Jean Reardon presented cervical spine injury in children, and Roxanne Woods presented intervention grants for pediatric trauma.

The ever popular breakout sessions included some of our old favorites, burn therapy from Karen Iacono, wound dressings from Liz Foster, reflux meds from Marilyn Stoops and research and publication from Chris McKenna.

We ended the day listening to president elect Laura Flanigan present “Saving Whole Lives, Progress in Pediatric Surgery.” She discussed the founders of pediatric surgery, the growth in pediatric surgery and the advances in surgical treatment and care, in addition to looking at pediatric surgical nursing, who were we and who are we??

If this could not be planned better, our afternoon ended with the Laura Flanigan receiving the Founder’s Award!! Her mentors, colleagues and friends who she brought into the world of pediatric surgery from the beginning of her career in nursing surrounded her. An award she most deserved for all the years she has given to her patients and all the knowledge, expertise and direction she gave to us at APSNA.

Jerome Medical sponsored the Trauma luncheon where an interactive panel discussed the Impact of trauma on families: resources and recovery.

Committees met charged with new ideas for program, development, publication and education. New members were recruited and plans were made for next year in Naples!! Everyone made time for dinner in Epcot Center or riding Space Mountain, I also saw a lot of umbrella drinks around the poolside!!

The APSNA Research and Scholarship Gift Fund was established.  The fund was established in an effort to pursue our philosophy of distinguishing pediatric surgical nursing as a unique nursing specialty, and promoting quality care to all pediatric surgical patients through education and research.  Through this fund APSNA will provide 2 scholarships at the annual meeting and hopefully expand these offerings to meet a wider variety of scholarship needs.

The APSNA Listserv was introduced in the winter of 2000. This member service was an extraordinary way for APSNA members to communicate in real time: patient problems, research information, benchmarking and sharing of clinical pearls.

Two new columns began in Sutureline, “The Hurt Alert,” by Renee Manworren, and “Wound Care Jeopardy,” by Liz Foster. 

The following monographs were printed and distributed in the Spring of 2000 to be added to the APSNA Resource Manual: “Prevention Strategies for Unintentional Childhood Injuries” by Teri Crawley; “Intussusception,” by Chris McKenna, and “Tracheostomy,” by Harriett M. Allen.

The 2000-2001 Board of Directors:

• President - Liz Foster
• President Elect - Laura Flanigan
• Immediate Past President - Carmel McComiskey
• Treasurer - Beth Zimmerman
• Secretary - Marie Esposito
• Development Chair –Laura Phearman
• Director at Large - Luanne Pelosi
• Education Chair - Marti Fledderman
• Membership Chair - Susan Olson
• Nominations Chair - Lori Howell
• Program Chair - Kelli Burns Young
• Publications Chair - Teri Crawley-Coha

May 1999

Rancho Mirage, CA

Once again the meeting took place over two full days and kept the minds of 98 attendees challenged. On day one the topics ranged from issues on procedural and post-operative pain management to websites. Invited guest speakers were Dr. LaMontagne and Sandy Sentivany-Collins, Pam Griffith, and Dakin Hart (our webmaster). Outgoing President, Nancy Tkacz, presented a moving address at the luncheon on collaborative practice and two scholarships were awarded again through a drawing at the Business Meeting.

The first Founder’s Award was presented to Gail Garvin and Diane Jakobowski and was accepted in their absence by Betty Kasson. Kathy Leack and her nominations committee team spearheaded this.  The Award was envisioned to be the “Academy Awards” of Pediatric Surgical Nursing.

The textbook continued to progress and there were hopes that it would be in print by next year's meeting. The Program/Education Committee was split into two separate Committees and the Education Chair position was added to the Nominations for next year. Marti Fledderman agreed to take the Board appointment to Chair that Committee until then.

Day Two began with a great lesson in the advances of laparoscopic surgery by Dr. Keith Georgeson. Twelve three-minute abstracts were presented followed by several well-moderated round table discussions. To end the meeting a panel discussion was held on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation that included invited guest Dr. Erik Skarsgard and the Julian family. The Trauma Nurses met at the end of the regular meeting for the second year over a luncheon with invited guest Dr. Tres Sherer.

Of course, the most exciting part of this particular meeting was THE EARTHQUAKE! Many attendees awoke during the night before the meeting to find their beds and room furniture moving - others just thought that they had heard a very loud train go by - only to find that there were no train tracks near the resort! We all survived however and the locals got a good laugh, stating that a 5.0 earthquake was nothing new to them!

The 1999 - 2000 Board of Directors:

• President - Carmel McComiskey
• President-Elect - Liz Foster
• Secretary - Mary Quinn
• Treasurer - Beth Zimmerman
• Director At Large - Melinda Klar
• Past President - Nancy Tkacz
• Membership Chair - Lynn Fagerman
• Development Chair - Laura Phearman
• Nominations Chair - Lori Howell
• Publications Chair - Teri Crawley-Coha and Laura Flanigan
• Program Chair - Colleen Nespor
• Education Chair - Marti Fledderman

May 1998

Hilton Head, SC

In the year preceding this meeting, the membership grew to 205. The Publications committee (Laura Flanigan, chair) announced that Aspen Publications had agreed to publish "the textbook." Chris McKenna, Barb Wise and Bethany Harmon agreed to edit the textbook. Betty Kasson developed the APSNA WEB site as well as supported the efforts of Nancy Tkacz and Gail Garvin to develop a STRATEGIC PLAN for the organization. This work came directly from the organization through a questionnaire that asked the membership to prioritize the goals and direction of APSNA. For the first time, the membership had the opportunity to contribute to the architecture by their responses. The fiscal year end was changed to March 31. Each board member developed a Job Description to help operationalize the role and help the transition of board members. Scholarships continue to be awarded to two members.

Nurses attended the meeting, a vigorous two-day scientific session, which included the first multidisciplinary panel. Breakout sessions continued. Fourteen research or clinical practice posters were presented. Pediatric Trauma nurses met formally for the first time at this meeting during a luncheon. Corporate sponsors were formally acknowledged in Sutureline.

Twenty-one monographs are in various stages of production. Renee Manworren continues as the Resource Manual Editor. The artwork on all monographs is original, much of it done by Suzanne Borkowski's' daughter. Many have Renee’s initials hidden in the artwork!

The 1998-1999 Board of Directors:

• President - Nancy Tkacz
• President Elect - Carmel McComiskey
• Secretary - Mary Quinn
• Treasurer - Marti Fledderman
• Director At Large - Melinda Klar
• Past President - Betty Kasson
• Membership Chair - Lynn Fagerman
• Development Chair - Laura Phearman
• Nominations Chair  - Kathy Leack
• Publications Chair - Laura Flanigan
• Program/Education Chair - Colleen Nespor

May 1997

Naples, FL

A sincere effort to build our membership occurred this year and the organization grew to 183! APSNA submitted for the first time a 1996-1997 report of activities to the APSA Board of Governors.  APSA was extremely complimentary of the work of APSNA, and continued to support the organization philosophically.

A phone number was obtained for APSNA calls and a new address for the organization was established in Boston, Massachusetts. Elections were changed from occurring at the annual conference to earlier in the year to allow board members time to prepare for their roles and responsibilities.

Ninety nurses attended the meeting. This year, the full two-day session provided an opportunity for networking and relaxation. Sutureline continued to produce great clinical articles as well as serve as a communication tool. The membership committee (Wendy Mackey, chair) formalized a directory that included e-mail addresses!

The Nursing Resource manual progressed and produced the first monograph "Pyloric Stenosis" by Kathy Leack. The purpose of the monographs, which will eventually result in the APSNA Resource Manual, is to disseminate the wealth of knowledge possessed by the members of APSNA.  This will take years to complete. The goal is to provide better care to pediatric surgical patients by researching and compiling information about a wide range of pediatric surgical subjects.  The monographs will try to give a complete overview of each subject. Where different options for surgical and nursing care are practiced across the country, we will try to do our best to present those. The monographs will include a Family Information Sheet to use for patient and family education (the genesis of the APSNA Teaching Sheets). Coordinators were assigned and addressed specific topics such as: tracheostomy, biliary atresia, Hirschsprung’s disease, intussusception, solid tumors, tracheoesophageal fistula, and malrotation. Attendees at the 1997 Annual Meeting received the APSNA Binder, a large, three-ring binder embossed with the APSNA logo designed to hold, what will eventually be a substantial number of monographs or hold all Suturelines or APSNA materials. 

The APSNA store opened to offer products that would advertise APSNA: mugs, mouse pads, beach towels and post it notes. The Development Committee (Laura Phearman, Chair) contracted with vendors to attend the meeting as well as support the conference costs. 

The 1997-1998 Board of Directors: 

• President - Betty Kasson
• President Elect - Nancy Tkacz
• Secretary - Linda Haga
• Director At Large - Carmel McComiskey
• Treasurer - Marti Fledderman
• Past President - Suzanne Borkowski
• Development Chair - Laura Phearman
• Education/Program Chair - Luanne Pelosi
• Membership Chair  - Wendy Mackey
• Nominations Chair - Kathy Leack
• Publications Chair - Laura Flanigan

May 1996

San Diego, CA

This year the conference expanded to ONE AND ONE HALF DAYS! APSNA grew to 150 members from the US, Canada, and Australia. A membership brochure was developed. The treasurer (Beth Zimmermann) computerized the treasury and with the help of the Development Chair developed an Audit Guideline. The Director At Large (Gail Garvin) developed a scholarship process for the institution of a nursing scholarship award. The Publications committee continued to grow under Nancy Tkacz's direction with development of the Resource Manual (Renee Manworren), Textbook (Chris McKenna, Barb Wise and Bethany Harmon), The Ways and Means Committee evolved into the Finance Committee and the Development Committee. Laura Phearman was appointed by the board to chair the committee until the election process in 1997. This was the formation of the first Development Chair.

 The 1996-1997 Board of Directors:

• President - Suzanne Borkowski
• President Elect - Betty Kasson
• Secretary - Linda Haga
• Director At Large - Carmel McComiskey
• Treasurer - Beth Zimmermann
• Past President - Julianne Nemes Walsh
• Development Chair - Laura Phearman
• Education/Program Chair - Luanne Pelosi
• Membership Chair - Wendy Mackey
• Nominations Chair - Kathy Leack
• Publications Chair - Nancy Tkacz

May 1995

Boca Raton, FL

During this meeting, APSNA continued to evolve. Dr. Gary Hartman was the first physician speaker invited to present to our group. Clinical abstracts as well as posters were presented. Barbara Wise discussed Ethics in pediatric surgery and Carmel McComiskey led a panel discussion with Diane Jakobowski and Barbara Wise to facilitate a group discussion of three difficult pediatric surgical cases. Renee Manworren delivered the first Presidential Address during the luncheon and the wine and cheese party was born. Sutureline continued to evolve under Nancy Tkacz’s direction into both a clinical tool and communication device that we still rely on today. The Legislative committee was disbanded. The other committees underwent "refinement" this year under the direction of the President.

The December 1994 issue of Nursing Clinics of North America featured pediatric surgical nursing, with Chris McKenna as the editor of this issue. APSNA members from the four corners of the nation contributed their expertise in topics such as solid tumors, pediatric trauma, solid organ transplant, ostomy care, hospitalization of the ill child, prenatal diagnosis and fetal surgery, adjustment to hospitalization, and pediatric laparoscopy.

The Resource Manual continued to be conceptualized.  The resource manual included care maps, protocols, patient teaching materials, family resources and other pertinent information.  There were coordinators assigned to different topics such as anorectal malformations, central venous catheters, antireflux procedures, appendectomy, preventable trauma, and post-operative pain.

The 1995-1996 Board of Directors:

• President - Julianne Nemes-Walsh
• President Elect - Suzanne Borkowski
• Secretary - Melinda Klar
• Treasurer - Beth Zimmermann
• Director At Large - Gail Garvin
• Past President - Renee Manworren
• Education/Program Chair - Betty Kasson
• Membership Chair - Liz Foster
• Nominations Chair - Carol Shock
• Publications Chair - Nancy Tkacz

May 1994

Tucson, AZ

This year the APSNA program was a full TWELVE HOURS LONG including the first poster session! The board of directors met the evening before and the day after the meeting. The first wine and cheese reception was held. The treasurer (Chris McKenna) gained Federal Tax ID number. The Director At Large became the historian of the organization. The call for nominations for board positions was changed to the opening of the business meeting to allow time to meet candidates, publish information in the Sutureline. Quarterly reporting became part of the bylaws. The local arrangements chair was eliminated. A Ways and Means Committee was established, chaired by the treasurer to handle fund raising efforts as well as corporate sponsors. Committee terms were extended to two years (publication chair to three years). The membership chair developed a member packet. Four Suturelines were produced. The Ethics task force recommended continued education and discussion of pediatric ethical issues in the Sutureline and as part of the program. The membership voted on a logo. T-shirts with the APSNA logo were introduced this year. Our permanent address became the Treasurer’s address in Pittsburgh, PA.

The following officers were the third Board of Directors (1994-1995):

• President - Renee Manworren
• President Elect - Julianne Nemes
• Past President - Gail Garvin
• Secretary - Melinda Klar
• Treasurer - Chris McKenna
• Nominations  Chair - Carol Shock
• Membership Chair - Liz Foster
• Education/Program Chair - Betty Kasson
• Publications Chair - Nancy Tkacz
• Director At Large - Gail Garvin
• Legislative Co-Chairs - Linda Haga/Bethany Harmon

May 1993

Hilton Head, SC

The First Annual Meeting and Education/Research Conference of APSNA was held. A full day program was coordinated by Melinda Klar and Barb Wise. A business meeting was held on the second day. Forty-four nurses were present. Diane Jakobowski announced that APSA had agreed to officially recognize APSNA. This year brought an increase in the membership to 107. Committees continued to develop. Changes were made to the Bylaws (a process that continues each year). Three editions of Sutureline, the organizational newsletter, were produced and distributed to the membership and Renee Manworren obtained corporate sponsorship to control cost. The nomination process evolved. 

Gail Garvin began her tenure as president. The officers’ terms of office were reviewed. Nancy Tkacz was elected Publication chair. An ethics task force was established and chaired by Carmel McComiskey. A development task force was established and chaired by Roberta Burrington. The president mandated quarterly committee reports. The secretary became the clearinghouse for reporting and recording.

The idea of a Resource Manual began its infancy.  The founding members identified that members were creating educational materials for families and pediatric providers for their own institutions, and so could APSNA potentially create a compendium of knowledge to use for pediatric surgery nursing professionals but also patients and families?

The following were the second Board of Directors (1993-1994):

• President - Gail Garvin
• President Elect - Renee Manworren
• Secretary - Denise Taylor
• Treasurer - Chris McKenna
• Past President - Diane Jakobowski
• Director At Large - Julianne Nemes
• By Laws - Suzanne Borkowski
• Membership CoChairs - Pam Pieper/Liz Foster
• Publications - Nancy Tkacz
• Legislative - Lori Howell
• Nominations - Pam Dennis
• Education/Program - Barbara Wise/Melinda Klar

May 1992

Colorado Springs, CO

This year the efforts continued with the first half-day program coordinated by Melinda Klar and Laura Jacobson. Over fifty nurses attended. A business meeting followed. Each chair reported on the early work of the group: bylaws, an application form, dues, policies, board of directors and contact educational units. The first Board of Directors was elected by the group present at this meeting with an official nominating process to follow after the adoption of the bylaws. The membership chose a name of this new organization: American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association (APSNA). The fiscal year was established (May 1- April 30). The first dues cost $50/$40.

The first Board of Directors:

• President - Diane Jakobowski
• President Elect - Gail Garvin
• Secretary - Denise Taylor
• Treasurer - Chris McKenna
• Director At Large - Julianne Nemes
• Bylaws - Suzanne Borkowski
• Nominations - Pam Dennis
• Membership - Pam Pieper, Liz Foster
• Education/Program - Barbara Wise, Melinda Klar
• Local Arrangements - Michelle Schultze
• Legislative - Lori Howell
• Publications - Renee Manworren

May 1991

Orlando, FL

An inaugural breakfast session of Pediatric Surgery Nurses interested in the development of a collaborative association was held during the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Annual Meeting.

Diane Jakobowski founded the organization with Gail Garvin. Diane began by sending 100 questionnaires to Pediatric Surgical centers nationally. Forty nurses responded. A breakfast meeting was planned in conjunction with the APSA meeting. There were 31 nurses present at this meeting. These nurses divided geographically and each group became a committee: Goals (New England) - Julianne Nemes, Chair; Bylaws (Northeast) - Suzanne Borkowski, Chair; Program (Southern) - Melinda Klar, Chair; Newsletter (Midwest) - Renee Manworren, Chair; Membership (Southeast) - Pam Pieper, Chair; Organization (West) - Gail Garvin, Chair; Local Arrangements (Colorado) - Roberta Burrington, Chair. Each group agreed to develop its own goals and send reports to Gail Garvin who established a "clearinghouse" for ideas.

The overall goal of this coalition was to form an organization to develop and foster the highest standards of professional pediatric surgical nursing practice to promote optimal care to the pediatric surgical patient.

Diane and Gail are credited for having the vision and organizational skills to lead the concept of American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association (APSNA) into reality.  Their professional and clinical credentials lent a strong credibility to APSNA’s formative phase.

The 2010-2011 Board of Directors:

• President – Lynne Farber
• President Elect – Jenny Kreiss
• Past President – Muggs Helin
• Treasurer – Nancy Jacobs
• Secretary – Raquel Pasarón
• Development Chair – Steadman McPeters
• Director at Large – Cyndi Bishop
• Education Chair – Neil Ead
• Information Systems Chair – Brenda Middlebrooks
• Membership Chair – Laura Resch
• Nominations Chair – Susan Ziegfeld
• Program Chair – Jan Dudley
• Publications Chair – Kris Roberts