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March
2003—Issue 1
Co-Editors John Rutkowski, RRT House of Delegates Officers Thomas Striplin, RRT/Speaker-elect Denise Johnson, RRT/Secretary Tony Rodela, RRT/Treasurer Ruth Krueger, RRT/Past Speaker Robert Fluck, Jr., RRT, MS, |
In This Issue... | |
Michael Jackson LaDawn Neary Tom Striplin Denise Johnson Tony Rodela Ruth Krueger David Shelledy
Suzanne Bollig/Debbie Fox P & T Committee |
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Editor’s Note Michael R. Jackson, RRT The Editors of the AARC Record heartily thank the officers of the House of Delegates (HOD) as they’ve all submitted articles. In this issue, Speaker LaDawn Neary asks members of the AARC Board of Directors to contribute more articles to the The Record. The Record welcomes articles from all delegates. Delegates may sponsor articles from non-HOD sources as well. The editors appreciate the concerns and humor of the AARC Record’s authors. Folk from the House imprint indelibly on each other. They keep a familiar eye on me as I read and tweak their words, here at my dinner table. This issue is complete. Goodbye. We’ll see you later in Washington DC, Orlando and Las Vegas. [Top] |
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Speaker’s Article LaDawn L.Neary, BA, RRT 2003 Goals The first goal is to continue to facilitate the open communication between the HOD and AARC BOD, which has improved over my many years in the House. To achieve this goal, AARC President David Shelledy, along with his Parliamentarian Carl Wiezalis and I are communicating by email and phone over issues of interest to both bodies. In addition, I would like to see an AARC BOD member contribute an article to each AARC Record. The second goal is to foster mentoring and leadership development within the AARC. This is an area that can be targeted at the HOD as well as the affiliates. You have already seen through my committee chair assignments that I’m trying to allow those persons interested in continuing through the “ranks” the ability to do so by giving them the experience and opportunity through these assignments. I’m also working with David to match the board members with the 6 house members interested in participating in the mentoring program. In addition I’m contacting both respiratory schools in Orlando to see if they are interested in attending the HOD/BOD meetings during the summer. My hopes are that this experience will pique their interest in their professional organization and motivate them to become involved with the organization as well as retain their membership in the AARC. I’d also like to see more communication with the affiliate BOD, specifically through encouragement of them to attend both HOD and BOD meetings and allowing them to see how we function. Hopefully, this will send them back to the affiliates energized and motivated, like us, to tackle the problem faced with the states. The third goal is to increase communication/organization within the HOD. In order to do so, I’ve tried to do monthly updates on the list so you are aware of activities occurring between meetings. I’ve also requested that all correspondences from committee chairs are cc’d to speaker and speaker-elect. This will allow me to see the activity but also bring Tom into the loop so he knows what has been going on in order for him to prepare his charges for next year. The committee chairs and officers have also been requested to make a folder/binder of important committee activities and correspondences to be passed on to the successor of the chair position. I think Tom is already looking at turning this into an electronic process. The fourth goal is to continue efforts of the AARC to increase membership numbers. This has been an ongoing effort over the past several years without much success even though the Membership Committee has been trying anything and everything to effect those numbers. I’m thinking we need to do some major brainstorming to see where we need to focus our efforts and go for it. Having another focus group session and thinking out of the box are two considerations for accomplishing this goal. I’m definitely open to suggestions and with the mentality of this group, we should be able to come up with something innovative. Finally, the fifth goal is to look at areas of concerns being addressed in the HOD and see if we can work out any possible resolutions. Among these concerns are BS degree as entry level, recruitment/retention of students and quality of resolution submissions. I’m sure there are more and would request feedback from you into anything else you think we might want to address. As far as these concerns, focus groups have been a great tool, but we could also try practice sessions as well as interaction with the BOD. I’m open to suggestions here as well. Obviously these goals are not listed in order of importance, but I feel they all are important to the continued growth and success of the HOD and the AARC. I hope you will support these efforts and provide feedback to assist me in making 2003 a successful and productive year for the HOD. Also, thank you, again, for your confidence in my abilities as Speaker. This is a wonderful group of professionals and together we can make anything happen. [Top] |
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Speaker-Elect’s Update Tom Striplin, RRT I would like to welcome all the new delegates to the House and assure them that their time in the House of Delegates will be a rewarding one. I would also like to thank all of the delegates that have worked so diligently over the past years towards meeting the goals of the AARC. I am looking forward to working with each of you as an officer of this body in achieving continued success for our profession. In preparation for our summer meeting in Hotlando, I have been working with our parliamentarian on reviewing and updating any necessary changes to the delegate handbook. Subsequently, we will be bringing forth proposed revision information pertaining to house rules (HD003, Section IV) Delegation. We will be providing more information to House members on this proposed revision/addition of the rules as we move forward. One of my goals as speaker is to create an electronic trail of committee report templates for chairs and co-chairs of committees. In the past, as House Chair of the elections committee, I created an electronic trail that I passed on to my co-chair. All of the reports and overheads created were saved in a Word document and PowerPoint format and passed on to the next chair. This process virtually eliminated the “paper transition” process and was easily facilitated by email. I believe this will be helpful and make the transition process much easier for incoming chairs and co-chairs. As we strive to increase membership within our professional association, it is important for us to stay focused and be creative in our methods to recruit new members to this association and profession. Professional membership recruitment needs to be one of the top agenda items for all state societies. It is my hope that this body will continue to provide innovative recruitment strategies for affiliates to use in the recruitment process. Our local affiliate has increased membership significantly by utilizing some of the ideas that have been generated from this body. Florida in July! Wow! If you never seen an egg fried on the street corner, this will be your opportunity. Oh yeah, there’s Disney World and Universal, but the egg thing is coolest, as long as you are not the egg! Have a safe trip, looking forward to seeing you all in Orlando! [Top] |
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Secretary’s Report Denise Johnson, BS, RRT Happy New Year to all of you, new and seasoned House members. We have a full and exciting year ahead of us and I wanted to begin my term with a few reminders and a timeline for the resolution process during 2003. As the Secretary of the House of Delegates it is my responsibility to call for resolutions from the delegation. Remind your state affiliate boards that they can bring ideas forward for resolutions and you, as the delegates, can work with them to help develop their ideas into resolution form. Secondly, it is my role to chair the Resolutions committee. This committee is responsible for reviewing the resolutions that are submitted for clarity, content, completeness and appropriateness and to work with the authors during this review period. The committee also serves as a resource to any delegate who is beginning to construct a resolution and needs some assistance. Some general points I would like to reinforce as you are developing your resolutions:
The timeline for the resolution process for our July House meeting is as follows: I will electronically call for resolutions on March 19 with a deadline for submission of May 19. During this time the committee will review and get back to you with any questions or suggestions. The resolutions are then submitted to the Executive Office for posting on the House. I will post them on the House list serve by June16 in order for you take them to your state affiliate BOD to review before the July meeting in Orlando. I hope this brief description of the process is helpful. There will be more information about forms to use and other details when I request the resolutions in March. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to assist you in the resolution process. I am looking forward to serving as your secretary. [Top] |
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Treasurer’s Report Tony Rodela, MBA, RRT As another year in the House of Delegates commences, I want to welcome back the seasoned Delegates and to the “newbies”, I extend a warm welcome. I hope you will find this time, one you can look back to as a time of growth, commitment and a time of establishing valued friendships. Let me first start by listing the 2003 Treasurer Charges:
As this is the beginning of a new year, there is little to report. A 2002 audit will be presented to the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors at their March meeting and information will be available for the next newsletter. With the financial impact the decline in membership is having both at the AARC and the state affiliate level, I will ask that all committee chairs take a good look at their budgets to see if they can tighten up any more than they have over the last two years. The Delegate Assistance Committee expressed some concerns last year. The committee will address the development of guidelines for those affiliates filing exceptions for funding assistance. I encourage all the Delegates to continue stressing the importance with their respective affiliates of being fiscally responsible so that we can accomplish the goals set by our state and national leadership. Finally, I want to thank you for this opportunity to serve and look forward to a promising new year. [Top] |
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Rocks, Beer and Life Author unknown but submitted by: Ruth
Krueger BS, RRT Each time I read this story I am inspired. I wanted to share it with you all and hope it has the same effect. We tend to forget about fitting the important things in our lives first, so that everything else is just fill and if the extra doesn’t fit, nothing is lost! Enjoy. Ruth A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes." The professor then produced a can of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar — effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. “Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things — your family, your partner, your health, your children — things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter — like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Go out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first — the things that really matter. The rest is just sand.” One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s probably still room for a beer.” [Top] |
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AARC President’s Report David Shelledy, PhD, RRT I was asked to submit an article for the AARC Record and thought the most appropriate article would be excerpts from my address at the 48th International Respiratory Congress in Tampa. The address has been shortened tremendously to accommodate this venue, but I wanted to reiterate the key issues facing the AARC and the profession. Thank you for the opportunity to share this information with you. Introduction Need for RT With AARC support, all but 6 states now have some form of legal credentialing. The value of the respiratory therapist and the AARC is becoming well recognized as far away as China, Japan, India, Singapore, Europe, Russia, Mexico and South America. A representative from our newest international affiliate, the Italian Society for Respiratory Care attended our convention in Tampa and plans to return in 2003. Challenges The critical thinking, problem solving and assessment skills needed for effective practice are difficult to deliver in two-years of school. When you add the leadership skills required, there is hardly enough room in a four-year program. We need to continue to support our associate degree programs, which provide the majority of the human resources for the field. However, we must also increase the number of BS and masters degree programs in RT and encourage more practitioners to pursue advanced degrees. If we fail to continue to build our advanced degree programs in respiratory care, we will perish as a true profession. The numbers of new RRTs has declined, in part, because of declining school enrollments. But there are also reports of people not taking the registry because they do not need it to work. The RRT is the standard of excellence and all respiratory therapists should be expected to pursue and obtain the registry credential. The biggest threat to our future lies in our relative inability to affect public policy to protect our patients and our profession. While we are licensed in most states, respiratory therapists are still not recognized by the government for payment in all settings. In terms of numbers, we are not strong. There are at least 110,000 RTs in the US, but we have only 31,000 members (28%). Our dues are the lowest of the major allied health professions, yet we have the lowest percentage of members. This is unacceptable. We need to get the message out to our non-member therapists that we cannot succeed without them. The Future Advocacy, Recognition and Public Policy Education and Credentialing (BS, MS, RRT) Professional Practice Membership Mission and Vision of the Association I would like to conclude by reaffirming that the future of respiratory care is bright, because we are the best prepared, best educated, and best practitioners that this world has seen. Help me in helping the AARC help all of us. [Top] |
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Delegate Assistance Committee Steve Kessinger, CRT I was sitting in my office on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve looking for something to do. That’s not a normal problem during the year, but on New Year’s most physician offices are closed and those physicians try to discharge as many patients as they can. I was hoping to find nothing to do so I could sneak out early, or find something that would be of interest and enjoyable to me. My desk sits facing a wall, and on that wall is the House of Delegates 2003 Schedule for Committee Assignments. I posted it there because I have a relatively poor short-term memory (preoccupation, not age related!!). As I reviewed it I realized that a request for articles to the AARC Record would be mailed on January 6, 2003. Because of my short-term memory I’m often accused of procrastinating when it comes to completing assignments given to me by my assistant administrator. So, I decided to begin this article early so as not to be late for the February 3, 2003 due date. This short-term memory and history of procrastination is shared with you for a reason. I’d like to give each affiliate a head start on preparing for delegate assistance for the 2003 season. First let me introduce the committee: We have a series of charges for this year. The two I’d like to share with you are:
In essence, we are looking to see if the request form is clear and easy to complete, and to see if the policy needs updating to meet the demands of ever reducing fund availability. Anyone responsible for setting a budget will agree that we seem to be asked to do more with less these days. The overall idea of financial assistance is to offer supporting funds to those affiliates who, after creating a budget for the year’s necessary expenditures, are unable to fully fund the travel and lodging of one of their delegates to the summer and/or fall HOD meeting. I would suggest to those affiliates who believe they may need assistance that they create this budget early and spend time focusing on those “belt-tightening” and difficult decisions as to what is absolutely necessary to function as an affiliate and those that can be placed in the "soft monies" category. By doing this you will help your affiliate become a better money manager and help the AARC in it’s efforts to tighten its financial responsibilities as well. Here are the dates to remember for 2003 delegate assistance: Summer HOD Meeting Fall HOD Meeting Remember that you may request funds for costs that exceed 25% of your affiliate’s budget. The HOD wants participation from each affiliate and will not hesitate to provide all the assistance it can. The AARC and its affiliates are, after all, a symbiotic partnership. We survive with each other’s help. As for my memory and procrastination, I just told my boss that I had finished this article early. She bet me 5 bucks that I would still be late for the deadline. Wish me luck! [Top] |
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Kansas Experiments with Conducting Board Meetings via ITV Suzanne Bollig, 2002 President Travel time and expense to attend board meetings is an issue for many state affiliates. In Kansas, we offer a minimal mileage reimbursement for travel to board meetings. Our mileage reimbursement is only $0.10/mile, offered primarily to defray the costs of those traveling more than 150 miles to meetings. Most board members absorb their own travel expense with very few members requesting reimbursement. We rotate the meeting sites in an effort to vary the distance required by our different members. Most members probably drive 2 hours or less, but some may have to drive as much as 4-5 hours. We do not offer reimbursement for hotel expense. The other factor for many board members is the time required away from their job and family to attend meetings. As 2002 KRCS president, one of Suzanne’s goals was to investigate the possibility of using technology to conduct a long-distance, multi-site meeting to help address these issues. We looked at both the use of audio conferencing via telephone and interactive video teleconferencing (ITV). Our initial inquiry into the use of audio conferencing was disappointing. The price quoted by AT&T would have cost approximately $2,000 to conduct the meeting. This was based on a conference set-up fee of $15 and $0.68/minute charge per connection based on 16 participants. We were also disappointed by the average charge we were quoted by several different host sites with ITV capability. We were initially quoted a price of $60/hour per site plus telephone charges if different area codes were crossed requiring different “bridges”. Luckily we found a lower cost alternative. Suzanne’s hospital agreed to host the meeting and dial the other sites for $30/hour per site. We set up a total of four sites throughout the state, plus the host site in Hays. We also had to find host sites at other hospitals or colleges, which were willing to link up without charging additional fees. Only four sites were utilized to help keep the costs low and yet provide enough locations so BOD members did not have to drive more than one hour or less. Our final cost was $313 to utilize the ITV system. One site had some difficulty with their audio, but overall, our board meeting conducted by ITV went well. We experienced a few minor technical glitches as we became familiar with the format. The ITV format allowed discussion between sites and members. Most locations had from one to five board members present who helped us learn to use the system. The KRCS board felt the expense was well justified and we plan to use this format again this year for at least one meeting. We were fortunate to find a hospital willing to host our meeting for a lower cost but other states may find the same opportunity especially if the hospital or university already has ITV capability available. Interactive video conferencing is an alternative other state affiliates may want to investigate. [Top] |
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Results of Effectiveness Survey Progress and Transition Committee On behalf of the Progress and Transition Committee, the results of the Effectiveness Survey are listed below. Forty-five surveys were returned at the meeting in Tampa. Thank you again for your help in filling out the forms and returning them. The questions and averaged number responses, as well as comments, are listed below. If you have questions, please contact Sherie Wheeler, current chair, or Debbie Fox, incoming chair. I would like to give special thanks to Doug Mcqueary who tallied the results and to Mary Alstead who put information into graphs. 4-Strongly Agree
Comments:
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Publication Schedule
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Calendar of Events
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Membership Figures (as of 2/28/03)
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