NEW YORK NURSE: May 2008
For the first time in recent memory, the New York State Nurses Association will hold its annual business meeting without a concurrent Convention.
The result will be a shorter session (two days instead of four) that will be devoted primarily to discussing and deciding issues related both to the nursing profession and the association.
Labor issues will be the focus at meetings of the Congress of Bargaining Unit Leaders (Congress) and the Delegate Assembly on Friday, Sept. 26. Practice Focus Groups and the NYSNA Voting Body will meet on Saturday, Sept. 27. The event will be held at the Hilton Rye Town in Westchester County.
“This format is being tried this year in hope that more nurses will be able to attend,” said Linda O’Brien, NYSNA president. “Many have told us that they can’t take four days off of work to attend Convention.” The meeting location is about 35 minutes from Manhattan and is accessible by train or car.
Nurses will still be able to earn contact hours during the meeting days. A plenary session on Friday afternoon will feature Barbara Glickstein speaking on the compelling topic of human trafficking and the nurse’s role in fighting this global atrocity. Her talk will be a follow-up to her presentation at last year’s convention.
CE credits will also be offered for meetings of the five NYSNA Practice Focus Groups on Saturday morning and the Voting Body session in the afternoon. This will be the first meeting of the PFGs, which take the place of the former Clinical Practice Units and Functional Practice Units.
Keynote speaker on Saturday will be Jackie Pflug, who has inspired audiences worldwide with her story of being aboard a hijacked airliner in 1989. Pflug was among several Americans and Israelis who were shot by the hijackers, and was the only one who lived through the ordeal.
Full registration for the two days is $125 for NYSNA members and $150 for nonmembers. One-day registration is $75 for members and $100 for nonmembers. You must pay the registration fee in order to receive CE contact hours. The registration fee also includes a Continental breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon coffee break.
NYSNA members may attend sessions of the Delegate Assembly, Congress, and Voting Body free of charge.
The annual meeting will not include some traditional features of Convention, such as an awards ceremony, exhibit hall, and formal dinner.
There will be, however, opportunities for nurses to meet and greet each other. A networking reception for local bargaining unit members will be held on Thursday evening and there will be a free social event for all attendees on Friday evening.
Watch your mail for complete registration information. Online registration will be available by the end of June.