The following address was delivered at INS 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 18, 2019.
Welcome to Baltimore, home of Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key, and our National Anthem. Known as "Charm City" to the locals, Baltimore is a working-class city of diverse ethnic neighborhoods such as Little Italy and Greektown. It is home to large Jewish and African American populations. Marylanders love their professional sports teams, the Orioles and the Ravens, and you can see their state-of-the-art stadiums while taking a stroll in the beautiful Inner Harbor. Baltimore is also famous for its seafood from the Chesapeake Bay, especially the blue crabs. If you've eaten "Maryland" crab cakes in your hometown, I invite you to try real Maryland crab cakes while you are here so that you can see how much better authentic crab cakes taste! I can also hold steamed crab eating classes for anyone needing lessons, because Baltimore is also where I was born and raised. So, if I refer to you as "hon" please forgive me. It's a Baltimore thing.
It has been my honor to serve as the INS president for the past year and to give back to an organization that has provided me so much throughout my infusion nursing career. I'm amazed how quickly the time flew by. As I stood before you last year, I told you that the theme of my presidential term was to "Leave It Better Than You Found It." My hope was that you all would also embrace that theme and strive to improve the lives of your patients, coworkers, friends, families, and employers and leave them better than they were just a couple of months ago. I certainly value the mentorship that I received from our Presidential Advisor Pamela Jacobs and, of course, Mary Alexander, an awesome leader and a kind and caring friend. Thank you both for the time and energy that you invested in helping me be a successful president. I'd also like to thank the members of the INS board of directors and the INS staff, who take great care of us and keep our lives organized.
Throughout the past year, the team at INS has worked to enhance the experience of our membership:
* Educational assets on the LEARNING center were expanded by adding 1 webinar and 2 podcasts per month. There are now enough resources for CRNI(R)s to earn all necessary recertification units online without attending a live conference.
* The revision of the Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice has begun, again led by committee chair Lisa Gorski. The number of committee members has increased from previous Standards committees, to a team of 12. We also now have global representation with members from the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The new Standards are projected to be published in January 2021.
* Policies and Procedures for Infusion Therapy: Ambulatory Infusion Centers has been completed and the Home Infusion edition is under development. Revision of the Clinical Competency Validation Program has also been completed.
INS was invited to partner in several collaborations throughout the year:
* We teamed with the Emergency Nurses Association to revise the INS intraosseous position paper.
* INS was represented on a panel with the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine to revise the Practice Parameters for the Use of Ultrasound to Guide Vascular Access Procedures.
* INS participated on a panel of experts to revise the 2018 IDSA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy.
* INS was represented at the National Summit on Optimizing Use of Smart Infusion Pumps with the Institute of Safe Medication Practices.
* We had an INS representative on a multidisciplinary work group with the American College of Surgeons to create a tool kit for providers for developing skills for central line placement.
* We continued research with Purdue University as we seek to understand how nurses' work experience impacts both patient and organization outcomes.
* INS was 1 of 3 groups, along with the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), to participate in a survey to gather data to develop a definition of CLABSI in home infusion patients, led by an infectious disease physician from Johns Hopkins.
* We were also asked by B. Braun to participate on a panel with industry leaders in Washington, DC. This presentation to government representatives and press discussed the impact that fluid shortages had on patient care in the United States and what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.
In addition to these activities, INS staff and board of directors also found time to speak at several other conferences, including NHIA, the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN), and the World Congress on Vascular Access (WoCoVA). INS also awarded a $1000 INS Leadership Scholarship for the National Student Nurses Association and a $5000 research grant for the American Nurses Foundation. This amazing group of INS staff members accomplished all of this while relocating to a new INS headquarters! The new office affords a smaller footprint, open collaborative space, and updated technology to better support staff and volunteers.
The state of our society is active, engaged, collaborative, and changing to meet the needs of our membership. We continue to be guided by our vision statement: Recognized as the global authority in infusion therapy, INS is dedicated to exceeding the public's expectations of excellence by setting the standard for infusion care.
Being an INS member is easy to do, but I challenge you to go beyond membership. The more engaged you are in an organization, the more you get back. If serving as a board member is more than you can commit to, consider serving on a task force, becoming a reviewer for the Journal, joining a committee, or even regularly renewing your membership-instead of renewing only when the revised Standards are published or when you want the discount for the conference. By maintaining your membership, you have reliable access to INS educational platforms and INS publications as well as continuing education opportunities needed to renew your nursing license in most states. Continuous membership will also help you stay up-to-date with emerging trends and evidence-based practice changes.
Helping your organization and the infusion nursing profession can be a very rewarding experience and you may just find that it not only leaves the organization better than you found it, but that you have become a better nurse, leader, or mentor as well.