NCANA Committee DescriptionsThis page serves to provide more information about the NCANA committees and how to get involved. If you are a student, please reach out to the committee chair for involvement and mentorship on the committee that interests you and see the below information for specifics about participation. Program Planning Committee This committee begins meeting monthly in January/February. A post-evaluation meeting is held to discuss results of the annual meeting evaluations to make improvements for the next annual meeting and sometimes requires additional meetings for status updates as the annual meeting approaches. Student participants are welcome. Federal Political Directors The state federal political director (FPD) acts as a liaison between the AANA and NCANA and advocate for federal legislative issues. The FPD keeps state leadership and membership aware of any federal legislative issues and organizes advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and the state on national CRNA issues. The FPD gets to advocate and get involved in grassroots efforts to promote CRNA practice on a national level. They are also responsible for coordinating legislative visits and updating the membership on key issues at the annual Midyear Assembly meeting in Washington, D.C. as well as advocacy efforts in the state with U.S. Congress members and senators. The FPD is not a typical committee –there aren’t members in the committee aside from the co-FPDs at present and no “meetings” are held regularly. The AANA does offer a monthly meeting for all state FPDs that lasts about 1 hour and is also available as a recording if FPDs are not able to join the call. The FPD also attends regularly scheduled NCANA legislative calls (1-2 times per month) to update the leadership on national CRNA issues and work on legislative issues at the state level. The busiest time is close to Midyear Assembly, where the FPD coordinates meetings with all congressional members and senators with CRNA and SRNA members attending the meeting. Students are welcome to participate and help with planning Midyear Assembly and organizing advocacy efforts. Research and Education Committee The Research and Education committee strives to enhance the educational opportunities available to nurse anesthetists in North Carolina. This includes supporting continuing education initiatives, fostering collaboration with educational institutions, and promoting professional development. The committee actively supports and promotes research initiatives and project dissemination, encouraging CRNAs and SRNAs to engage in research activities that can improve patient care and advance the profession. This committee is highly involved and does a lot for the annual meeting including running poster presentations, faculty forum, and the college bowl. The Peer Assistance and Wellness Committee was established to promote awareness of issues that affect professional wellness such as substance use disorder, burnout, Second Victim Syndrome, stress and mental well-being, etc. through educational outreach. Committee members promote awareness and provide outreach at NCANA meetings and through social media posts, and at their individual workplace settings. Some of the committee's activities include recommending professional wellness educational content to be presented at the NCANA meetings, creating wellness posts for the NCANA social media sites, being present at NCANA meetings to talk with attendees and connect with individual groups such as nurse anesthesia educators and chief CRNAs. In addition to this the committee provides treats and fun activities at the NCANA Annual Meeting, have a Wellness Wheel at our table where participants can spin then answer the questions to win a prize, and keeps the NCANA website page for Peer Assistance and Wellness updated that has contact information for the State Peer Advisors as well as information and resources on wellness-related topics. Meetings are generally held virtually every other month unless otherwise indicated. Meetings are an hour in length. Attendance at the NCANA meetings (state and district) are encouraged since there is a table and opportunity to advocate for announcing our committee during transition of speakers. Two student members are welcome via the committee’s recruitment process. Government Relations Committee (GRC) The GRC promotes and advocates for the interests of North Carolina’s CRNAs and SRNAs regarding policies, laws, and regulations that affect the practice of nurse anesthesia. The committee monitors both federal and state legislative developments that may impact nurse anesthetists in either a positive or negative manner. In response to identified issues or proposed legislation, the GRC is charged with the duty to communicate with policymakers at the state level to educate and inform them about the role and quality of CRNAs in the state’s healthcare system. Monthly zoom meetings are held committee members also attend Capitol Day and NCNA's Tuesdays at the Legislature when they are able. Student members are welcome on this committee. Political Action Committee (PAC) The PAC serves to advocate for the professional practice of North Carolina's Nurse Anesthetists by making political donations to supportive candidates and legislators in our state. The PAC solicits donations from CRNAs or other individuals to raise the funds that are then used to make contributions to candidates, legislators and others who hold or seek elected state positions. Fundraising is a continuous task for NCANA PAC and other tasks include having a presence at both district meeting and having a fundraising event at the annual meeting. A couple of large tasks that most would not realize are done by the NCANA PAC are data entry for the Board of Elections required quarterly campaign finance reports and writing and delivering contribution checks to supportive candidates and legislators. The time commitment on this committee depends on which tasks committee members wish to work on. Ideally a committee member would spend 1-2 hours per month sending fundraising texts/emails, making fundraising phone calls and writing posts for eblasts to NCANA membership. The best time to become involved with NCANA PAC is when you are a student. Through this involvement you can become more knowledgeable of the legislative process and more comfortable interacting with legislators. Student involvement with NCANA PAC is a solid foundation to becoming a CRNA that will have a political impact on the future of his or her profession. The PAC would like to have 2-4 students participate on the committee who would be paired with a few of the most active committee members. Bylaws Committee This committee shall receive proposed amendments and present them to the board of directors and to the members for consideration. Ethics Committee The ethics committee shall receive, review, and respond to written complaints and concerns regarding a member whose conduct is deemed injurious to the organization. The committee consists of a chair and two additional members appointed by the board of directors. The ethics committee shall report its findings to the board of directors within thirty days of initial complaint for final board action. Finance Committee This committee is composed of at least four members, the treasurer, president-elect, and two other members. It shall be responsible for planning a budget and investigation{sic} the expenses and investments of the association. Public Relations Committee Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion History The history committee is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich heritage and contributions of nurse anesthetists in North Carolina. The committee’s aim is to honor the past, educate the present, and inspire the future generations of nurse anesthetists through the exploration, documentation, and dissemination of historical information. The committee works to not only record the history of North Carolina CRNAs and the NCANA but also to continually keep it updated. The committee works on collecting, archiving, and safeguarding historical materials, artifacts, and stories related to nurse anesthesia practice in North Carolina. The committee also promotes awareness of the historical achievements and challenges faced by nurse anesthetists, as well as advocates for the recognition and support of the profession within the healthcare community and beyond. The current goal of the committee is to research recent political events from the last couple of years and work to include those recorded to reflect the most updated history of our association. This task will require reviewing various bills through the state legislature. The History Committee welcomes participation from nurse anesthetists, historians, educators, students, and anyone with an interest in preserving and promoting the history of nurse anesthesia in North Carolina. This is a great committee for students to participate on and learn about our state history and to contribute to its continual update. Members are encouraged to contribute their expertise, insights, and resources to support the committee's mission and activities. |