The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accreditation educational design criteria require that planning committees be used as part of the planning process. RNS is well into the process for the establishment and recognition of rheumatology nursing as a specialty practice.
Among the committee’s make-up, three types of expertise are required/expected to be represented.
- Somebody on the committee needs to be familiar with the Scope and Standards for Rheumatology Nursing accreditation criteria, adult learning principles, and the educational design framework for the activity. This person should know how to write objectives and determine the desired outcomes.
- Somebody needs to be familiar with the target audience. Who are they? What are their needs? What expertise do they already have? What is their scope of practice and how does the desired activity enhance that practice?
- The third area that needs to be represented is content expertise. Someone on the committee needs to know something about the subject matter, what the current issues are in relation to this content, and how it applies to contemporary nursing practice.
Combining the perspectives of these three viewpoints contributes to the overall value of the committee as well as strengthens the process and outcome.
Meetings are conducted via conference calls at a date and time conducive to committee members. This may include evening or weekend hours. We KNOW we have a fabulous membership and value the fact you will be working with us.
Working Groups
- Education – This committee develops, suggests, and creates all educational content that enhances membership value. In addition, this group designs, writes, and posts educational material for the website. Included are articles for the library on disease states and treatments, “Tip of the Month”, as well as pieces for the “Toolkit”. This group is anticipated to work closely with the advanced Practice and Conference planning Committees. Meeting frequency to be determined by working group.
- Membership – this group is tasked with designing and implementing a short term and long range blueprint to grow membership as well as promoting RNS across the country. A special project each year will concern marketing to potential new memberships in a designated radius of the annual conference. This group will consider current and potential membership benefits. This group is anticipated to work with the Conference Planning Committee. Meeting frequency to be determined by working group.
- Conference Planning – This group will work on the planning of the 2012 conference, our big 5-year Birthday Celebration. Duties include course direction, obtaining qualified and respected speakers, event planning, CME/CEU submissions, ideas for marketing, ideas for potential themed conferences, suggestions for locations etc. It is expected this committee will work in concert with the Education Planning Committee as well as the Membership Committee. Meeting frequency is monthly which will shift to weekly at times closer to conference. Small task group meetings may be required.
- Research – This group will plan and implement Nursing Research. As Ms. Van Eijk-Hustings will tell us, and we see by the absence in the literature, the contribution of rheumatology nurses to multidisciplinary care is not clearly stated and that competencies and skills of nurses are often not optimally used. Areas in which we must research and document are nurses’ specific contribution to the areas of patient education, satisfaction with care, access to care, psychosocial support, nursing roles, patient outcomes, disease management, self-management, and efficiency of care. Meeting frequency to be determined by working group.
- Advanced Practice – This group is to allow advanced practice nurses the opportunity to define their role and unique contributions within the RNS. This group is anticipated to work closely with Education, Conference, and Research Committees. Meeting frequency to be determined by working group.
- Governance – Members of this group are parties interested in a leadership role within RNS. The will be tasked with designing nominations and election systems. This may serve as a clearinghouse for dissemination of information for all the various committee activities. Meeting frequency to be determined by working group.
- Core Curriculum – This group will work under the direction of the Editor to write chapters for the Core Curriculum. This is an excellent opportunity not only to share your knowledge and expertise but an opportunity to be published in a landmark publication. This group requires a 2 year commitment with at least monthly meetings.
