REPORT: October/November 2006

At the 2006 Convention in New York City…

Voting Body focuses on structure, membership

The Voting Body met during three sessions to consider business items related to the association’s structure, alternative forms of NYSNA membership, and issues facing RNs in the healthcare system. The complete text of Voting Body actions can be found on page 17.

Council on Nursing Practice

A proposed bylaw amendment to change the structure of the NYSNA Council on Nursing Practice (CNP) was postponed for consideration at next year’s Voting Body. The proposal would have replaced the Clinical Practice Units and Functional Practice Units that now advise the Board of Directors with an expanded CNP with representatives from Special Interest Groups defined by the Board.

Members who came to the microphones were concerned that there might be fewer opportunities for participation under the new structure and that nurses in some specialty areas might feel disenfranchised. The discussion continued at business meetings of the individual practice units, with many members wanting a more concrete definition of the proposed Special Interest Groups.

The motion to postpone the vote was accompanied by a motion to continue the current “expanded CNP” demonstration project for another year. The project, which has been underway for three years, allows a representative from each practice unit to attend meetings of the CNP to discuss common concerns and issues related to nursing practice.

Direct membership in ANA and NYSNA

The Voting Body approved a bylaws change that would allow RNs to join NYSNA without becoming members of the American Nurses Association (ANA). This change also would allow nurses to join the ANA without joining NYSNA.

Mary Eileen “Mel” Callan, a member of the Bylaws Committee, explained that direct membership in NYSNA would reduce dues for members who are not represented for collective bargaining. Direct NYSNA membership is not an option for bargaining unit members because of NYSNA’s affiliation with the United American Nurses.

Also approved was a measure to create “organizational affiliates.” These would allow groups that represent RNs to become affiliated with NYSNA and send one nurse representative to Voting Body. Members of organizational affiliates would be eligible to serve on NYSNA advisory groups, increasing the association’s resources and effectiveness.

Support for public health nursing, collective bargaining

In response to recent cutbacks in funding for public health nursing at county and local levels, the Voting Body approved a resolution affirming the role of public health nurses. “Public health nurses,” the resolution stated, “are and should remain at the forefront of public health education, health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, healthcare outreach for the underserved, and disaster preparedness.”

Another resolution supported the right of registered nurses, including charge nurses, to organize for collective bargaining. It reflected the widespread concern among nurses at Convention that a decision by the National Labor Relations Board, which had been announced that week, would have a serious impact on the survival of nurses’ unions.

Nurses gather information

During Voting Body and plenary sessions, RNs at Convention had many opportunities to learn more about nursing practice, research, and education.

Update on nursing practice in NY

Barbara Zittel, executive secretary of the New York State Board for Nursing, presented her annual update on registration, disciplinary actions, and regulatory changes affecting RNs who practice in the state.

Several members questioned Zittel about what nurses should do when employers have reported them to the State Board or suspended them for matters unrelated to patient care. Lorna Samuels, secretary of the Board of Directors, asked whether nurses’ licenses would be in danger if they were arrested and sent to jail during a demonstration or rally.

“If RNs must answer ‘yes’ on the re-registration form to indicate they have served jail time, I typically advise them to include a letter explaining the circumstances,” Zittel said. “In many instances, some from the Office of Professional Discipline will look at that and say this does not rise to the level of unprofessional conduct and you’ll never hear anything more about it.”

Zittel also advised nurses to provide an explanation if they have been suspended by their employers, adding that employers tend to overuse the disciplinary system. “I remember an instance when an employer suspended a nurse for not meeting continuing education requirements and reported the person to the state. That’s an abuse of the system. It’s not what the disciplinary system is for.”

Convention goers also heard reports from NYSNA President Verlia Brown and Executive Director Lola Fehr; Joan Madden-Wilson, acting president of the Foundation of New York Nurses; Claire Murray, vice president of Nurses House; and Rebecca Patton, president of the American Nurses Association.

Keynote address: Nurses as change agents

The keynote address, the first of five plenary sessions held during Convention, was delivered by Diana Mason, NYSNA member and editor-in-chief of The American Journal of Nursing.

Citing research that demonstrates the importance of nurse staffing to patient safety, she noted that hospitals are more willing to invest in equipment and technology than in improving staffing levels. “Nurses have a moral obligation to become change agents,” Mason said. “Staff nurses need to realize the power that they have and use it.”

“For patients to be safe and for nurses to remain in practice, working conditions must improved, nurses must be valued and treated as equal members of the healthcare team, and nurses must be represented at decision-making tables,” Mason said.

Other plenary speakers included Barbara Rubel, who spoke about preventing compassion fatigue in the high-stress healthcare workplace; Janice Beitz, who described the effect of humor on physiological, psychological, and sociological health and how RNs can incorporate humor into their nursing practice; Rosemary Gibson, who illustrated the impact of medical errors on patients, the families, and clinicians; and Joiel Ray Alexander, who encouraged nurses to find “joy” in their lives and their profession.

For 36 years, Cordaro’s been there

Anyone who comes to a NYSNA Convention is sure to recognize Mary Nancy Cordaro. She has attended every Convention since 1970 and wears a scarf decorated with memorabilia from each of them.

“I have more buttons and pins at home,” laughed Cordaro, a 74-year-old retiree from East Patchogue. “But I wouldn’t know where to put them.”

“I come to Convention every year to show my commitment to the Association and my profession,” said Cordaro. “Convention provides me an opportunity to meet with my colleagues from across the state. The Convention refreshes me each and every year.”

Cordaro became an RN in 1969 and worked her entire career at Brookhaven Hospital. Before that, she was an executive secretary and a professional photographer. She is active in the District 19 nurses association in Suffolk County.

“I have been given a wonderful life,” said Cordaro, “and I am still actively enjoying it.”