AALNC Announces Webinar Series with the American Bar Association

Hi Everyone,
We have been working with the American Bar Association to plan a joint webinar.  I am pleased to announce that a 2 part series on Elder Abuse & Neglect is scheduled for this summer.  Part 1 will air Monday June 13th at 12 noon central.  Part 2 will follow on Tuesday July 19th, also at noon central.  Lynda Kopishke, AALNC Past President, is representing AALNC as our speaker for this event.  ABA speakers include a defense attorney and plaintiff's attorney.  AALNC will provide nursing CEs for this session.  Please look for more information about this series on the AALNC website in the near future. 

Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President

2011 AALNC Conference

Hello Members,
We are only a few days away from the 2011 Educational & Networking Forum at the Pier 5 Hotel in Baltimore on the Inner Harbor.  As you may have seen from the member eblasts, this conference is Sold Out !!!  We are thrilled with the response to our conference this year and look forward to seeing you there. Mary Kay DeGeorge, 2011 Conference Chair, and the Conference Committee have organized an exceptional program. 

I wanted to let you know that we have made a few changes to the business portion of the meeting.  This year, to highlight the importance of our volunteers, we have moved the Awards presentation to the opening session on Friday at noon.  In the past the awards were announced at the business meeting; by moving them to the beginning of the conference we think this will further honor our award winners and volunteers. 

The business meeting will take place Friday afternoon after the last educational session and just before we leave for the optional dinner cruise event.  The business meeting will still contain several important reports, including a report from Marianne Hallas, AALNC Secretary Treasurer, on the financial status of AALNC.

We have also shifted the timing for the Presidential remarks to other areas of the program.  I will give my President's Address on the "State of the Association" Saturday morning at the opening session.  The AALNC Board of Directors has been working hard to advance our strategic initiatives this year.  I have quite a bit to report to you, so be sure to attend this session to hear all about our accomplishments!

The passing of the gavel will occur Saturday afternoon after the educational sessions and before the optional dinner speaker event.  At that time Sharon McQuown will begin her term as the 2011 - 2012 AALNC President.  She will then give her remarks and discuss her vision for the year ahead.  Sharon has really excelled in her role as President Elect this year, providing support and input in all critical decision making.  I could not have done it without her!  AALNC is very fortunate to have Sharon as our next President, I know she will do well in the role.     

Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President

Free Webinar - So You Want to be an LNC

Hi Everyone,
As you may be aware, the AALNC Board of Directors has scheduled a FREE webinar on February 17, 2011 at 2pm central / 3pm eastern.  As part of our Awareness Initiative to reach clinical nurses, we are hoping this free session will help to raise awareness of AALNC as the go-to source for legal nurse consulting.  While the target audience is mostly nurses who are interested in legal nurse consulting or new the the field, anyone with an interest in legal nursing is welcome to attend.  Several members of the Board will be presenting, including Beth Zorn, Sharon McQuown, Barb Boschert and myself.  The presentation is scheduled for 90 minutes, so we are planning ~ 1 hour to present our material, followed by 30 minutes for questions from the audience.  I encourage you to spread the word to your colleagues and anyone you think might be interested.  Chapter leaders often receive inquiries from nurses who want to get started in legal nurse consulting, and this would be a great resource for them.  We also hope this event will spark interest in AALNC membership at the national and local level. 

The session is free but anyone who wants to attend needs to register through AALNC HQ so we can send them the info to join the webinar.  Additional information can be found on the AALNC website at http://www.aalnc.org/ and the page for the AALNC Webinar Series at http://www.aalnc.org/edupro/WebinarSeries.cfm 

Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President

AALNC Updates

Hello Everyone,
It has been a while since I've written to you.  The AALNC BOD has been hard at work and a lot has been happening! 

As noted in my last post, AALNC partnered with DRI for a very successful joint webinar!  This was our first of what we hope will be many collaborative events with them.   Dr. Diane Krasner did a wonderful job representing AALNC as our speaker during this webinar.  I've received a lot of positive feedback from this event. 

The AALNC Board of Directors made the strategic decision to fill 2 new staff positions in 2011 with LNCs - the Director of Education & Programs and the JLNC Editor-in-Chief.  After going through a rigorous interview process, I am pleased to announce that we chose Deb Nellis from Pittsburgh for the Director of Education & Programs and Bonnie Rogers for the JLNC Editor-in-Chief.  The JLNC position combines the work previously done by the volunteer Editor and Managing Editor from HQ.  I am very pleased with our decision and know both candidates will do well.  Additionally, by combining duties and hiring our own staff we have put AALNC put in a stronger financial position.  

The AALNC BOD will be presenting a FREE webinar on February 17th titled "So You Want To Be An LNC."  The target audience is clinical nurses and others interested in getting into the field. We think this will be a great opportunity to educate nurses about who we are and what we do.  Please help spread the word to anyone you think may be interested.  Perhaps there are nurses who contact your chapter asking for advice on how to get started?  Send them to the AALNC website for more info about this webinar.  Attendees will need to register in advance to receive the materials and call in info, etc. 

The 2011 AALNC National Education Conference program has been released.  The conference will be held at the Pier 5 hotel in Baltimore on the Inner Harbor April 1 - 2, 2011.  Our Conference Committee did a fabulous job of recruiting speakers under the leadership of Mary Kay DeGeorge, 2011 Conference Chair.  Registration is now live for this event, and you should have received email blasts from HQ with additional details.  You won't want to miss this event!  We also have special networking events, including a cruise on the Inner Harbor Friday night and a special dinner speaker Saturday evening. 

These are just a few examples of what is happening.  Stay tuned for more info! 

Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President

AALNC Announces Joint Webinar with DRI

Hello Everyone,
I am thrilled to announce that AALNC and DRI will be doing a joint webinar on Tuesday November 9, 2010.  The webinar "Legal Issues in Wound Care Cases in the Present on Admission Era" will feature an LNC speaker from AALNC and an attorney speaker from DRI.  Diane Krasner, RN PhD, is the wound care nurse expert representing AALNC as the LNC speaker.  Dr. Krasner is a frequent speaker on wound issues, both internationally and in the US.  She has given presentations at past AALNC conferences, including the 2010 National Education Conference in Pittsburgh earlier this year. 

I would like to thank Dr. Krasner for assisting us with this important initiative with DRI.  As you may be aware, one of our key goals at the national level has been to increase awareness of the legal nurse consulting profession and AALNC through the Attorney Awareness Initiative.  We have been working to build a strategic alliance with DRI and have been in discussions with their leadership.  Developing joint educational projects is one of the many ways in which we can work together.  This webinar is the first in what I hope will be a series of joint educational events with them. 

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.  Watch for more details from HQ, including the exact timing of the presentation and registration information. 

Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President

Leadership Article - Characterists of Tough Minded Optimists

Hello Everyone,
As I mentioned in my last blog entry, I wanted to share a few leadership articles with you. If you are serving in a volunteer leadership role for AALNC - thank you!!  If you are not involved in AALNC at the local or national level, I encourage you to do so.  I think you will find it very rewarding, both on a personal and professional level.   

While in Chicago for a Board of Directors meeting, Sharon and I had the opportunity to meet with Henry Givray, President & CEO of Smith Bucklin, AALNC's management company.  During our meeting, he shared this article with us.  I thought it was an inspiring read - short and to the point.    You may have seen the info from the power of optimism before, but this version also includes commentary written by Henry Givray. 

See below. 
Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President

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12 Characteristics of Tough-Minded Optimists


From “The Power of Optimism” by Alan Loy McGinnis, 1990
Commentary by Henry Givray, 2009

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It’s what sunflowers do.”
― Helen Keller

1. Are seldom surprised by trouble.

Tough-minded optimists recognize and embrace the premise that problems are part of life. However, they see themselves as able and willing to be problem solvers. They do this by developing and presenting ideas and options which help solve problems. And tough-minded optimists are resilient in pressing forward until they get to where they knew they would eventually get to – success.

2. Look for partial solutions.

Waiting until you have 100 percent of the facts or the perfect solution before you act will result in inaction, missed opportunities or even paralysis. Tough-minded optimists don’t wait until everything is perfectly in order or known before they take action. They know that “beginning is half the doing.” They aren’t crippled by a need for perfection. Instead they are willing to take small steps toward eventual success. Toughminded optimists inherently understand that thoughtful action is far better than inaction or “analysis paralysis,” which solves nothing.

3. Believe they have control over their futures.

Optimistic thinking inherently boosts self-confidence and encourages determination. Optimistic people don’t let others’ opinions solely determine how they view the current or future state of affairs.

4. Allow for regular renewal.

I interpret this as mental, social and physical renewal. Mental renewal is about learning and continuous
education. Social renewal is about making a special effort to get acquainted with new people as well as
nurturing existing relationships. Physical renewal is of course about being and staying healthy by eating
right and exercising.

5. Interrupt their negative trains of thought.

For me, this simply means that as human beings we will at times have negative thoughts or self-doubt no matter how naturally optimistic or positive we may be. The key is to work at being self-aware while
constantly monitoring our response to other people, circumstances, conditions on the ground or new
information. Negative thoughts often distort our understanding of problems or issues at hand. Distortion
leads to blockage in finding solutions or charting courses of action. Another interesting implication of this principle is this: by blocking or shedding negative thoughts or preconceptions we are more open to give trust and the benefit of doubt, which in turn builds trust with others.

6. Heighten their powers of appreciation.

This is about possessing and demonstrating a genuine and heartfelt “thank you” approach, both in words and in actions. Optimists tend to see the good in people, the positives in situations and the beauty around them. This in turn fosters trust and a positive response from others, which is especially helpful during difficult and trying times.

7. Use their imaginations to rehearse success.

By definition, pessimists view the world through a prism of danger, angst and failure. Tough-minded
optimists picture a desired state of the future and are confident to go about and make it happen. They
develop positive images to minimize or replace the natural anxiety of uncertainty. But tough-minded
optimists are also realistic in their visualizations. They are comfortably able to adjust downward, as
needed, to make their “images” more believable.

8. Are cheerful even when they can’t be happy.

I believe this is especially critical for anyone in a position of authority or responsibility who aspires to be an effective leader. In fact, during trying times, a leader’s optimism lifts spirits, gives hope and builds strength in others. Following this principle doesn’t mean you should be artificial or take on a what-meworry, head-in-the-sand persona. It simply means that tough-minded optimists always have the “bigger picture” in mind. They recognize that their attitude can and will have an impact (sometimes profound) on the people around them, which can either enable or inhibit performance, results, and problem solving.

9. Believe they have an almost unlimited capacity for stretching.

Tough-minded optimists believe (and act accordingly) that they are on a perpetual journey of selfimprovement, learning and discovery; their attitude is “my personal best is yet to come.” They are
constantly pushing, stretching, leveraging to grow, finding new ways to do things and developing
themselves. This is not about Pollyanna positive thinking but more about recognizing that the mind, heart and soul offer limitless opportunities and potential.

10. Build lots of love into their lives.

Cynical or negative people knowingly or unknowingly isolate themselves and end up being alone much of the time. During times of great difficulty and challenge, personally or professionally, tough-minded
optimists recognize the power of love and friendship to heal, nurture and renew. McGinnis wrote “love
nurtures optimism.” The reverse is true – hostility leads to cynicism and pessimism.

11. Like to swap good news.

How and what we talk about affects our state of mental and physical being. Sharing success stories
builds excitement, is great for morale and can be educational.

12. Accept what cannot be changed.

Even the biggest optimist has to know there is a point to not “throwing good money after bad.” Perseverance is powerful, but not accepting what cannot be changed can be costly as other opportunities drift away. Simply stated, tough-minded optimists ask “is there anything I can do to change the situation?”  If the answer is “no,” then they let it go and move on.

© Copyright 2009 SmithBucklin Corporation. All rights reserved.

August Board Meeting Update

Hello Everyone,
The AALNC Board of Directors held our summer Board meeting  in Chicago recently.    We had a very productive meeting.    
We completed a thorough review of the 2011 budget, which was then approved by the Board.  Marianne Hallas, AALNC Secretary/Treasurer, did a great job of leading us through the budget process with the support of our staff.  The entire process was done differently this year and worked very well.  There are several new ideas on the horizon; I look forward to updating you on those changes in the future. 

Another key highlight from our meeting was a thorough review of the strategic plan, with updates to our Plan of Work and goals for 2011.  An ongoing evaluation of where we are and where we need to be is important to the health of the organization.  It was great to reflect on how much we have accomplished so far this year.   

The meeting concluded with a brain storming session about new revenue streams for AALNC.  The board members were very engaged in the process, and many geat ideas were discussed!  All in all it was a great meeting, and I returned home feeling very optimistic about our future.

Another highlight from the weekend was the opportunity to represent AALNC at a meeting wtih Henry Givray, President & CEO of Smith Bucklin.  Sharon McQuown, President Elect, and Kaye Englebrecht, AALNC Executive Director, attended the special meeting with me.  The discussion centered on association leadership, association trends (especially in light of the economy), and ideas for growth.  Henry shared several inspiring articles, including ,"7 Things only a Board of Directors Can Do" and "12 Characteristics of Tough-Minded Optimists."  The latter is a new favorite of mine; I read a few quotes to the Board for inspiration during the meeting. 

I hope to tell you more about these articles in a future post.     

Karen

Karen J. Huff, BSN RN LNCC
AALNC President