HPNA.org

Board Updates

New Benefits for HPNA Members in 2013

As recently announced by Board President Barbara Head PhD, RN, CHPN, FPCN, ACSW in a letter to all HPNA members, there are new directions and new benefits for members in 2013.

In 2012 the Board and National Office staff evaluated our operations on three important levels: member benefit, board leadership and technology resources. To this end, we surveyed both members and non-members to learn about their perceptions and needs related to professional membership organizations and important benefits. Two of the major goals of this analysis were to identify ways that we could (1) increase value to our membership and (2) enhance our overall operational effectiveness and efficiencies.

Member feedback has been and is key to providing you with benefits that impact your practice as hospice and palliative professionals. The Board announced three exciting NEW membership benefits in 2013:

1) FREE: All E-Learning online courses. Designated pharmacology hours are identified as appropriate for the course.

2) Opportunity to participate in AchieveLinks, a unique rewards program developed exclusively for members of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. When you activate your account, you’ll be eligible to earn valuable LinksSM reward points for purchases. You can shop on-line with over 850 companies you already know and trust. You earn Links on each of your purchases. As you accumulate Links you will be able to redeem them for all kinds of exciting must-have merchandise and once in a lifetime experiences.

3) Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing (JHPN) is launching a dynamic iPad app which combines the reading experience of print with enhanced features and tools. This will be first viewed during the 2013 AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly.

Proposed By-Law Change

As previously communicated in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing and the electronic newsletter, we have begun the transition to a competency-based board model. The board nomination and selection process has been revised. We will submit a proposed by-law revision for approval which will reduce the number of board positions from 12 to 7. Streamlining the Board will enable effective, efficient decision-making while cutting the costs for board travel. We are also looking at online meetings and other efficiencies, which will save both time and money.

The savings of having a smaller, more efficient board will provide additional funds to support membership programs and services. In 2012, we created and filled the position of Director of Professional Practice. In 2013, we are adding support for a communication specialist/copywriter to assist with the development of educational products, position statements and public communications.

This by-law change will be formally introduced at the Annual Membership Meeting in March, and voting members will vote on it electronically in the summer. If approved, this by-law change would go into effect as of January 2014. The Board Development and Leadership Committee will implement the change over 3 years. Link here to the detailed description of the proposed change and related rationale.

2012 Assocation project

In 2012, the HPNA Board, in partnership with the staff of the National Office, has embarked on a journey of self-reflection and preparation for a change in course. On the heels of developing our three-year strategic plan, the Board recognized that the needs of members are changing, and the membership organization must consider how to re-tool to meet those changing needs. Guided by a recent publication titled Race for Relevance¹, the Board is considering three key domains of association leadership and membership. First, we are taking a critical look at the board member competencies that support governance today and in the future. We’ve typically sought Board members who are representative of our membership’s practice areas and geographic locations. While we haven’t abandoned those notions of representativeness, we are also considering what additional skill sets and capabilities would contribute to governance of a dynamic, nimble and member value-focused Board. For example, do we need input from a consumer representative? Are there business or technology capabilities that we are missing? Second, under the direction of CEO Sally Welsh, the national office staff is gathering data that will help us to understand member value. We have surveyed members in the past about our products and services, and in the current effort we are going beyond the standard questions and gathering intelligence about why members join any membership organization, what services delight and which fail to inspire, and why do some nurses not renew membership. Finally, we will develop a technology plan to support emerging member needs, making access to information and services easier and more portable and immediate than ever. We are confident that this effort will sharpen our focus and assure HPNA’s relevance to your needs – today and in the future.

¹ Book citation (Race for Relevance: 5 Radical Changes for Associations; 2011; by Harrison Coever, and Mary Byers, CAE)