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Communications Committee
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Anne Stiles, Chair
Jo Azzarello
Carol Boswell
Judy Lewis,
Editor- SOJNR
(ex-officio)
Alison Jones
Montpetit
Editor-Doctoral
Student Web Pages
Leanne Lefler
Lenora Smith
Editor-Southern
Connections
Nan Smith-Blair
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Thoughts
from the Editor
Disseminating
SNRS Information
 Summer is approaching its end and fall will soon be
upon us. With the falling temperatures, fall surely is one of my
favorite times of the year. Fall reminds me that it will not be long until
the 2010 SNRS annual conference; I hope you are making plans to
attend, as it sounds fascinating! Check out the information
about the conference in this newsletter as well as on the SNRS
website, www.snrs.org.
In other SNRS news, nominations are now being accepted
for open positions within the organization. The call for nominations can be found on the website.
Positions being sought include President-Elect, Secretary, members at
large, and nominating committee members. Please consider nominating
yourself for a position and becoming more active in the organization!
In this edition of Southern Connections, the Executive
Director of SNRS, David Stumph, contributed with information
regarding the organization's strategic plan. It contains some valuable
information that should be of interest to every member. Additionally,
we highlight the Evidence-Based Practice Research Interest Group
(RIG) and refer members to the web site to learn more about the
exciting opportunities and activities available to RIG members.
Southern Connections serves as a source of information
for all members of SNRS. We welcome ideas or suggestions for
improvement, which can be emailed to me. I am always happy to consider new
ideas! If you have news to share, please email that as well - we love
hearing from our members! Keep us apprised of your important news so
others can become as excited about your research as we are!
Lenora Smith, MSN, RN
Editor, Southern Connections
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From
the President
Due
Diligence
Merriam-Webster (2009) defines 'due diligence' as: the
care that a reasonable person exercises under the circumstances to
avoid harm to other persons or their property; or research and analysis
of a company or organization done in preparation for a business
transaction (as a corporate merger or purchase of securities).
The SNRS Board determined this spring to focus our due
diligence in examining the financial health of the Society on the
behalf of the membership. Accounting reviews for the past several
years indicated that we were in compliance with generally accepted
accounting principles (GAAP). However, it has been more than five years since a full audit was performed on the SNRS accounts.
Therefore, the Board decided to authorize a full audit of the Society
accounts. On behalf of the Board of Directors and SNRS membership,
the Finance Committee reviewed several proposals from firms
interested in conducting an audit. Firms were considered based on
years of experience, particularly with non-profit organizations,
scope of services to be provided, availability and process outlined
to conduct the audit, references, and cost. The Board of Directors
has approved the engagement of Heider, Tanner & Dirks, Inc.
located in Denver, Colorado to conduct an audit of SNRS finances with
a complete report available to the membership at our 2010 annual
meeting.
At the Annual Business Meeting of the Society in
Baltimore, the Board presented the membership with an Operating
Budget reflecting a small negative balance (-$2,970). That initial
2009 Operating Budget was built using anticipated revenues from the
2009 annual meeting; however, we had a more significant shortfall
than planned when food and beverage, and cost for A/V upload and
equipment came in higher than planned, and registration was less than
projected. This required the Board of Directors to amend the approved
2009 Operating Budget. After an in-depth analysis, the Board voted at
their July 7 meeting to utilize $40,000 for the Operating Budget that
had been earmarked for the reserves in order to have a balanced
budget for the remainder of the year. The utilization of these funds
does not deplete our investment accounts; the Society continues to
have an investment account with over $180,000. This $40,000 had been
set aside to assist with the formation of a SNRS Foundation that
would increase the Society's fundraising potential and to create an
enduring source of support for nursing research. The 2009 Operating
Budget was also balanced by decreasing expenditures on conference
brochures, decreasing board of directors travel expenses, decreasing
printing and copying supplies.
We currently are in the process of planning for the
2010 Operating Budget, and due to the recession, we reduced our
expectations of funds that will be generated by the 2010 Annual
Meeting and will build the budget with those constraints in mind. As
a Board, we moved the reserve funds with the realization that this is
not a strategy than can be made from year to year without depleting
all our funds; we realize that reserves are only there for the 'hard
times'. As we saw in February, the annual meeting, while a
significant part of the ongoing revenue stream for SNRS, cannot always
be counted on to carry the financial wellbeing of the Society; it
should be a self-sustaining entity with dues covering the day-to-day
operations of the organization.
We will be posting our financial reports and the most
recent audit documents on the Members Only portion of the SNRS
Website as they become available. We hope you will review the shared
documents when they are posted on the website. At the 2010 Annual
Business Meeting, attention will need to be given to the future
viability of the organization. Your help in the process is vital.
Should you have questions or comments about the above information,
please contact Dr. Demetrius Porche, Treasurer.
due diligence (2009) In Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/due
diligence
Elaine J.
Amella, PhD, GNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
Demetrius Porche, DNS, RN, FAANP
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A
Future Scan for SNRS
David Stumph,
IOM, CAE
Executive Director
 SNRS is a member-driven organization - a very positive
characteristic for a professional society in that it keeps the organization
focused on the key issues of its members. It ensures that the
educational content and information exchanged at the annual
conference, in the newsletter and the journal stays relevant to the
SNRS membership. SNRS is also driven by a set of strategic goals and
initiatives that keep us focused on the important issues at hand. To
help everyone understand the SNRS Strategic Plan, we thought it would
be a good idea to offer a brief overview and discussion of how it
relates to and affects the future of the organization and its
members.
The SNRS Strategic Plan consists of the following
primary objectives:
Objective 1: Promoting the
conduct of research as well as the dissemination and application of
research findings. The single most important goal of SNRS is to fund
research and to utilize every option available to ensure that the
research findings are communicated in such a way that they are
incorporated into practice. The funding issue is critical to making
this happen. Over the past few years, we have been able to increase
funding for research as a result of a few successful annual
conferences. To put the teeth behind our efforts to raise funds to
support research, the Board is working on establishing a research
foundation. One of its primary charges is the initiation of a special
endowment fund specifically designed to provide a perpetual source of
support for nursing research. This project is currently on hold as a
result of a poor financial outcome from the 2009 conference. However,
work is progressing on the formation of the foundation so that the
structure will be in place and ready to take advantage of future
successes.
Objective 2: Facilitating the recognition and growth of members as
nurse scientists. Recognition for ones accomplishments in nursing
research is important to those of you making important discoveries,
as well as in enhancing public awareness for those achievements. The
SNRS awards program is a key part of this objective. We are
continually looking for ways to improve dissemination of this
information to address both goals. Naturally, using our own website
and our newsletter to get the information out is important. We must
not be shortsighted, however, by limiting dissemination of this
information to these areas. A press release program is planned to
provide broader dissemination of this information so that it gets
into media outlets well beyond SNRS.
Objective 3: Fostering communication, connection and collaboration
among members. This goal is more introspective, in that it specifically
positions SNRS as a connecting point for its members. There are
numerous resources available to accommodate communication and
collaboration among members, including:
- The SNRS newsletter,
Southern Connections, which offers information about organizational
activities, news from the Board and committees, and updates
from the research interest groups (RIGs).
- The journal,
Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research (SOJNR), which
offers nurse scientists the opportunity to collaborate on
submission and publication of research finding.
- An online searchable
membership directory offering the opportunity for members to
locate other members in their area or within areas of research
interests.
- Each RIG has a
listserv allowing RIG members to post questions relevant to
their research issues and to exchange information as
appropriate.
- Developing and
presenting a symposium at the annual conference is another way
to collaborate with peers in meeting this objective.
Objective 4: Promoting
the image of nursing as a scientific discipline. Most of us in the
general population are not aware that nurses are involved in
research. This goal supports some of the ideas discussed under
Objective 2 as it relates to the need for public awarenessof
nursing'srole in research. Medicine and healthcare face many
challenges, not the least of which is a serious nursing shortage.
This is not news to any of you. As the leading nursing research
organization in the Southern region, we must lead the way in making
the case for nursing as an attractive profession and driving more
professionals into academic positions, thereby creating an educating
and training forum for bringing more nurses into the work force. This
is primarily a public relations effort that needs all of our support.
Objective 5:
Advancing SNRS as a model of organizational excellence. What do we
mean by a "model of organizational excellence"? This goal
encompasses everything we do. It means that our annual conference
provides a model of excellence for others to emulate. It means that
our financial management is transparent and managed in a way that
provides a sound footing and support for the funding of future
research. It means improving all member services and communications,
public awareness campaigns, awards and recognition activities, and
fostering member collaboration. It means that you as members of SNRS
are looked up to for the outstanding contributions that you make to
nursing research and that our public relations efforts are designed
to amplify and call attention to those achievements.
The SNRS Strategic Plan provides us the road map to achieve these
objectives. But none of this can be accomplished without you. As a
member-driven organization, we need your support through both volunteer
activities and financial commitments to keep SNRS on a course that
remains relevant to nursing research in the Southern region. These
goals have been set high but certainly not out of sight. As your
staff, we look forward to continuing our collective efforts in
meeting these important goals.
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Website
Newsflash!
Leanne L.
Lefler, PhD
 Greetings
from Leanne Lefler, Communications Chairperson in charge of web site
updates. SNRS is devoted to increasing our energies to building the
Research Interest Groups (RIG) and the website. This is a critical
component of the Society and allows us to offer a valuable resource
for members outside of specialty organizations. The RIG websites
serve as communication "hubs" for the membership of SNRS by
providing opportunities for collaboration, education, and peer
support around issues associated with each specific area
(gerontology, health promotion, parents and children, etc). We hope
to provide a forum for integration and synthesis of our work within
each specific area. Each RIG has a listserv associated with
membership and can be accessed by a request to SNRS
"webmaster" at snrs@resourcenter.com
We have spent considerable time and effort updating the RIG websites,
although not everyone has responded yet to our call. I encourage
everyone to frequently check your RIG website out and use this
resource. If you have not signed up for a RIG group-it's easy. To
participate, please login to the Members-Only section and choose up
to two RIGS as part of your membership benefits. If you choose 3 or
more, each additional RIG will be $15. We urge the Chairs and
Chairs-elect to update your RIG website by giving updated information
on the purposes and projects of your RIG. Please send information to L.Lefler@uams.edu.
The Administration RIG is looking for leadership if you are
interested. Send your info to Jennifer Wenzel, RIG chairperson jwenzel@son.jhmi.edu.
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How
To? SNRS Research Interest Group Listserve Networking Tool
Leanne Lefler,
PhD, APN/Communications Committee
Over the year, we have received several inquiries on how
to access the listserve within each Research Interest Group and what
are the official rules and regulations concerning their use?
First and probably easiest, you can send emails directly to the
appropriate lists by addressing them as below. The rules &
regulations concerning use of the SNRS listserve can be accessed at
this link: Listserv Policy. One of the most common problems
concerning the listserves is that members want to use the REPLY
function. As a result, mailboxes are bombarded with emails! Please DO
NOT click on REPLY or REPLY TO ALL as everyone's
mailbox will be filled with emails. If there is a question about the
message, please address it directly to sender.
Happy Networking!
Administration: snrsadmin@lists.snrs.resourcenter.net
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RIGs
on the SNRS Web Site-Learn More!
The Research Interest Groups have information on what their
groups are doing and what they need in order to succeed. The
Evidence-based Practice RIG has done an exceptional job of informing
their members of their news as well updating their web site!
Other RIGs that have also done a great job:
Aging/Gerontology
Community/Public Health
Health Promotion
Parent/Child
Psychiatric/Mental Health
Psychometrics
KUDOS to these RIGS! Keep those updates coming!
Evidence-based Practice
-A
sampling from the RIG web page
Greetings from co-chairs Lyn Stankiewicz Murphy and Darryl W. Roberts
of the SNRS Evidence-based Practice RIG. Our area of work focuses on
the integration and infusion of individual clinical expertise with
the best clinical evidence from sound scientific research into
nursing and allied health practice. Evidence-based practice can
improve the quality of clinical judgments and facilitate
cost-effective care for all healthcare providers. It is our hope that
this RIG will enable likeminded nurses to create an environment for
EBP excellence in the SNRS community and nursing profession at large.
This RIG formed at the 2008 Annual SNRS Conference in Birmingham
after a spirited discussion regarding the importance of
evidence-based practice and its relationship to nursing practice. Our
goal for this coming year is to become an active RIG within the SNRS
community. Our first step in meeting that goal is to generate
interest in the RIG by using this Website and other means.
SNRS selected the EBP RIG for an Annual Conference Symposium in 2010.
In the near future, the RIG will request manuscripts for a special
edition of the SOJNR - date to be announced! Additionally, the EBP
RIG offers networking opportunities, peer support, and inspiration to
others interested in this area of work and research. We encourage all
members to participate. We welcome all parties interested in EBP -
researchers, clinicians, academicians, and students - to this RIG. Be
sure to "sign-up" by logging in to the Members-Only section and choosing this RIG to
join. There is no fee to participate. You can join up to three RIGs
as part of your membership benefits. Just "click" on the
topic and the Resource Center will do the rest!
Again, welcome to the EBP RIG! If you have any additional questions,
ideas, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us! Thanks for
your interest in the EBP RIG.
Bios
Lyn Stankiewicz Murphy, PhD, MBA, MS, RN, the Director for
Professional Development and an assistant professor in the Department
of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, joined the faculty at the
University of Maryland School of Nursing in 2001. Her area of interest
focuses on the professional development of women in leadership
positions, namely nurses and educators. She is particularly
interested in the behavioral determinants that influence women to
choose a lifestyle of leadership and the economic contributions of
this behavior on society. The long-term goal of her research is to
develop infrastructures that assist women in developing leadership
roles succeed in today's business environment.
Dr. Murphy received her BSN from Carlow College in Pittsburgh, PA,
her Masters in Nursing from the University Of Maryland School Of
Nursing, her MBA from the University of Baltimore, and her PhD in
Public Policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Dr.
Murphy teaches research methodology, statistical analysis, health
finance, and organizational / leadership theory on the master's and
doctoral levels.
Darryl W. Roberts, MS, RN is an Assistant Professor and public
health informatician at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
His research focuses on lethal and near-lethal violence including
homicide, suicide, and domestic violence using large disparate data
sources to identify trends. He is also co-investigator on studies
investigating predictors of dementia pugilistica in professional
boxers that could lead to new insights into Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's diseases and on studies of children and adolescents with
obstructive sleep apnea and asthma to identify predictors of those
illnesses. In addition, he is the project manager for Nursing Systems
for Education in the 21 st Century (NURSE 21), in which he leading
the implementation of an academic electronic health record for
students to use in the school's various clinical simulation labs.
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Diane
Orr Chlebowy, PhD, RN: Highlight
RIG Chair-Elect
- Research in Clinical Settings
Dr.
Chlebowy is an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville
School of Nursing and the Adult Health Division Coordinator of the
undergraduate program. She earned her doctorate in nursing from The
Ohio State University in 2002 and has over 25 years of clinical and
teaching experience in adult health nursing. Dr. Chlebowy received
recent intramural and extramural funding for her research projects
and is currently the principal investigator of an interdisciplinary funded
study examining the effect of a motivational interviewing
intervention on adherence to prescribed treatment regimens among
African Americans with type 2 diabetes. She is the primary author of
recent publications and has presented extensively at local, regional,
and national conferences. Dr. Chlebowy has assumed various leadership
positions in local and national diabetes organizations during her
professional career.
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2010
Conference News
Sharon
Horner, Local Planning Chairperson
Anne Turner-Henson,
Vice-President
The SNRS 2010 Conference will be held in beautiful Austin, Texas at the Hilton located on 4th Street
in historic downtown. The mild winters with cool nights and crisp
clear sunny days are perfect for outdoor activities. Located 3
short blocks from the Austin Hilton is Lady Bird Lake, an ideal spot
for walking or running in well established hike and bike trails.
Austin boasts of diverse nighttime entertainment including the Austin
symphony, ballet and opera companies, the Zachary Scott Theater, and
a wide variety of live music venues.
The 2010 conference theme is Health Care Challenges in the Next
Decade. The keynote speaker will be Ada Sue Hinshaw, PhD, RN, FAAN,
Dean and Professor of the Graduate School of Nursing, at the
Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Hinshaw is a
world-renowned researcher. She served as the first permanent director
of the National Center of Nursing Research and guided its transition
into the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National
Institutes of Health. Her research interests focus on nursing staff,
client quality in care, economic outcomes, evaluation of practice
structures, and evaluation of environments that influence
professional practice.
We will continue to have a later abstract call for student poster
presentations that will open on October 1st, 2009.
Additionally, the Late Breakers and Evidence-Based Research abstract
system will also be open October 1st, 2009. Late breaker
abstracts allow presentations of cutting-edge research which was not
available at the time of the regular abstract deadline. In
addition we are inviting our nurse scientists in practice (Magnet
hospitals, VA nurse scientist training programs, etc.) to submit
abstracts of research and evidence-based practice. Guidelines for the late breaker and
evidence-based practice abstracts submissions will be sent via
E-Blast in mid August 2009.
The 2010 conference will incorporate new venues for disseminating
emerging research findings to the community of nursing scholars. SNRS
is launching its inaugural poster discussion format for presenting
research. This format combines the classic poster session (author
present to answer questions about the study) followed by group
discussions by poster authors and other attendees. The podium
discussions in these sessions are not presentations of the study, but
rather discussions of issues that extend across the group of
posters. Poster discussion formats will be used for Late
Breakers and Evidence-Based Research.
Start making plans to join us in Austin, Texas for SNRS 2010.
We look forward to seeing you there.
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Building
Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity
Scholarship & Fellowship Programs
Call
for 2010-2012 Applications
Online
Application System is OPEN.
The American Academy of Nursing, with support from the John A.
Hartford Foundation of New York City and the Atlantic Philanthropies,
seeks applicants for the following Scholarship and Fellowship
Programs:
- The Predoctoral
Scholarship program supports 2 years of full-time doctoral work
for nurses committed to careers in academic geriatric nursing.
The program awards a total of $100,000 ($50,000 per annum) to
each selected Predoctoral Scholar candidate.
- The Claire M. Fagin
Fellowship program supports 2 years of full-time advanced
research and leadership training for doctorally-prepared nurses
committed to careers in academic geriatric nursing. The program
awards a total of $120,000 ($60,000 per annum).
- The Mayday Fund
provides an additional $5,000 award to selected
scholar and fellow candidates whose research includes the study
of pain in the elderly.
Details about the programs and application materials
can be found on our web site. Applications for the 2010-2012
cohort are due January 13, 2010. Please feel free to
contact Pamela Dudzik at 202-777-1171 if additional information is
needed.
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The John A. Hartford Foundation's overall goal is to increase
the nation's capacity to provide effective and affordable care to its
rapidly increasing older population. Specifically, the Foundation
seeks to enhance the training of physicians, nurses, social workers
and other health professionals who care for older adults, and promote
innovations in the integration and delivery of services.
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about
lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people.
Atlantic focuses on critical social problems related to aging,
disadvantaged children and youth, population health and
reconciliation and human rights.
The Mayday Fund is dedicated to alleviating the incidence,
degree and consequence of human physical pain.
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2009
SNRS/CANS Call for Podcasts
Nurse
as Scientist Contest
The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science announces the Call
for Podcasts: Nurse as Scientist contest. There is regional
competition with all of the research societies, and there is an award
of $1000 for the winning regional entry. SNRS's entries will be judged
by the Awards Committee and the winning entry will be shown at the
2010 Annual conference. Once the regional winners are awarded, their
entries will be sent and judged by CANS.The winner of the national
competition will receive a $1,500 scholarship for travel expenses
plus one free conference registration for the 2009 State of the
Science Congress on Nursing Research. The closing date for entries
has not been announced as yet. Stay tuned for more information, or
get updates at www.nursingscience.org.
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Southern
Nursing Research Society
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