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President's Message

ANNA Critical Issues Conference:
A Commitment to the Future of Nephrology Nursing
by ANNA President Sandra Bodin

The American Nephrology Nurses’ Association (ANNA) is a successful nursing organization. We have many committed and able volunteers, a well-managed national office, excellent publications and educational programs, and a strong financial base.
With that in mind, current and future ANNA leaders were called together in September 2007 to attend a Critical Issues Conference in Philadelphia. The goal for the Critical Issues Conference was to create an environment for ANNA’s continued growth and success over the next 5 years. The objectives of the conference were to:

Complete an assessment of all ANNA programs and products.
Review the ANNA strategic plan as revised in July 2007.
Develop strategic thinking skills in ANNA’s current and future leaders.
Evaluate the governance of ANNA.

Background Information
As the President of ANNA, I opened the meeting with a brief overview of the association. In a world where most associations survive on average only 5 years, our past leaders have charted a successful course for ANNA for over 39 years. We currently have 12,000 members; 96% are registered nurses, 57% are certified, and 64% have 10 or more years experience in nephrology nursing. The average age of ANNA members is 50 years old and increasing every year! A nine-member board of directors governs ANNA. We have 4 regions (Northeast, Southeast, North Central, and Western), 114 local chapters, 9 committees, and 8 Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Our Mission Statement is “ANNA will advance nephrology nursing practice and positively influence outcomes for patients with kidney disease through advocacy, scholarship and excellence.” ANNA’s core values, the guiding principles that reflect what ANNA stands for, are Advocacy, Scholarship and Excellence. They are inherent in all decision making and define and guide our professional practice.

Reviewing the Strategic Plan
We began the conference by reviewing the ANNA Strategic Plan. This Strategic Plan was created in 2001 and revised in 2002, 2004, 2005, and most recently in July 2007. Throughout the revisions, our goals remained constant: advocacy, recruitment and retention, membership, scholarship, leadership, and business. All actions of the association must support one or more of the strategic goals. The Critical Issues Conference participants validated the current Strategic Plan, which meant we were ready to plan for ANNA’s future.

Assessing ANNA’s Programs and Products
The major portion of the conference focused on a strategic assessment of ANNA’s programs and products. We separated into small groups and a facilitator led us through exercises to analyze ANNA’s program portfolio, which was divided into four business lines:

Knowledge Transfer: ANNA’s journal, books, and other publications;
Professional Development and Education: ANNA’s education programs, standards of practice, and scholarships;
Advocacy: Health Policy Workshop, Kidney Disease Awareness and Education Week, and Government and Health Policy relations; and
Community: ANNA’s committees, Special Interest Groups, awards, chapters, and web site.

Each program or product was evaluated for program attractiveness and competitive position. Does the program fit with the mission of our association? Do our members support and want the program? Are we good at providing it? Does someone else offer a similar program and perhaps do it better? Does the program need additional resources? Should we consider divesting ourselves of the program? While many conclusions were consistent among the groups, participant evaluations did vary due to differences in practice, roles, age, and personal experiences with each product or program.

Evaluating ANNA’s Governance Structure
The final session of the conference was an evaluation of ANNA’s governance and discussion of possible governance reform. Participants were redistributed into new small groups and we began the session with an exercise of drawing a picture of ANNA governance today if it were depicted as a form of transportation. Several pictures were of boats, trains, and race cars. We even had a spaceship and a roller coaster! Among the depictions in the pictures were the need to increase the involvement of our younger members and the need to create opportunities for new volunteers.

We continued the governance evaluation by listing current strengths and/or weaknesses of each structure: the Board of Directors, regions, committees, SIGs, and chapters. Out of this discussion, we developed recommended actions to improve governance. It seemed at times that we ended up with more questions than we started with. How can we create a diverse, nimble, and responsive Board of Directors that is made up of leaders who can lead? How can we ensure that all chapter officers are properly oriented to their roles? How can we provide good mentors for our committee and SIG leaders? What programs should we emphasize to help our volunteers succeed in their roles? We want ANNA members to have a pleasant experience when they volunteer; we do not want to create hardships or stress for them.

Results
The participants in the Critical Issues Conference were very engaged, thoughtful, and creative in their work. While we would have all liked to have left the conference with a menu of proposals to work on, collating and synthesizing the collective input of all 72 participants will take some time. There were some major themes that developed during the conference discussions.

Programs and Products: Provide high quality programs in response to focused interests.
Technology: Continue to develop the ANNA web site with additional features and continuing education, and explore the use of webinars.
Board of Directors: Reassess the criteria for board of director eligibility. What should the board composition look like?
Vice President Role: Consider regional vs. national representation and the Vice President responsibilities.
Virtual Chapters: Create a structure that allows members who are unable to participate in traditional chapter activities to enjoy the experience of a chapter community online.
Special Interest Groups: Examine ways to increase communication to all members and to involve more members in the work of the SIGs.
Committees: Reassess what standing committees ANNA should have and what work is better accomplished by work groups or project teams.
Volunteer Roles: Create opportunities for more ANNA members to have active, meaningful volunteer roles that also respect the members’ personal time.

Next Steps
It will take many months of determined analysis and work to incorporate these ideas into our evolving association infrastructure and processes. I am hopeful that each of you will be willing to help us operationalize these themes. Together, we can ensure the future of the nephrology nursing specialty.

Sandra Bodin, MA, RN, CNN
ANNA President