Organizing Your Trip Plans is Easy!

If you are like me you want to plan and re-plan your trip and keep an eye on your itinerary. I have found a great site to help you with your trip plans - it is called Tripit. You can set up a free account and then forward your travel confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com. You will receive a well organized confirmation message back with helpful links. You can then go into the web based application to set up your hotel and/or car rental information. You can access this information from the web or your smartphone (there is an App for that).

Do you want to know where are the best places to eat in Indianapolis but don't want to rely on the hotel staff? Why not ask the locals via social media? Visit the site ForWhere. This site will find your location and allow you to "listen in" on what people are saying on the social media site FourSquare. It maps out comments about all the hot spots. Did someone say lobster?!?

Be well.

Mark Ambler, RN

Twitter: MarkInfoRN

It is not too early to start mapping out your plans to visit the Exhibit Hall at the annual AONE conference in Indianapolis. Take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity to see and learn more about many different things!

I've been thinking about ongoing education and its acceptance as common practice in nursing - we are always looking to expand our horizons and to gather and utilize new knowledge in clinical practice, as well we should. Luckily for us, there are ample opportunities to learn about all that academia and industry partners have to offer. Once again the AONE Exhibit Hall will feature a number of academic centers that provide programs that support many different areas. As you consider how to develop your expertise or that of your team, visit with some of the academic centers represented to see how they might assist you.

We face many challenges as nurse leaders, but two of the most prevalent seem to be tackling technology and managing evidence-based practice. With the introduction of ARRA regulations organizations will need to accelerate their adoption of IT. In addition to some of the concurrent sessions, the AONE Exhibit Hall provides a terrific opportunity to look at how various electronic health records support both clinical practice and 'meaningful use' criteria. Nursing leaders should be an integral member of the IT initiative and therefore need to be knowledgeable about what their IT solution can provide and how well they are positioned to achieve success. Don’t miss the chance to meet with vendors to learn more about their solutions and how they can support your IT objectives.

We also see continued acceleration of evidence-based practice as a way to achieve positive patient outcomes – but where to direct our team efforts? As you consider options for integrating evidence within your nurses clinical practice you will want to visit with exhibitors that offer evidence-based content solutions that support your clinicians in making informed decisions. Take the time to familiarize yourself with these solutions and what they provide.

While these are just two areas of focus that I've been thinking about, the AONE Exhibit Hall provides a wealth of solutions that support your organizations in meeting ongoing operations. With the wide array of exhibitors, I know you will find the information you gather and the knowledge you gain to be extremely valuable!

So start planning your visit to the AONE Annual Meeting Exhibit Hall and take advantage of all it has to offer!

See you there!

Gail

Gail E. Latimer, MSN, RN, FACHE, FAAN
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer
Office of the CNO, Industry and Government Affairs
Siemens Healthcare

Support the AONE Institute at the annual meeting!

Hey ya’ll!

The AONE Institute has something new in store for us this year: an online auction! That’s right—instead of holding a raffle at the AONE Annual Meeting in an effort to raise funds for its research seed grant program, the Institute will be embracing the digital age by launching its first online auction. The AONE Institute Online Auction, which will run from April 1-15, will offer AONE members (as well as their colleagues, friends and family!) an opportunity to bid on a wide array of valuable items, including a Mexican getaway in the heart of the Riviera Maya, four tickets to a Pacers basketball game to be held in Indianapolis on the night of April 10 (during the AONE Annual Meeting, of course), gift certificates to several major chain restaurants such as Capital Grille and Morton’s, and much, much more. Check the AONE website for a link to the auction website once it goes live on April 1.

You also won’t want to miss the AONE Institute’s Sunrise Breakfast on Sunday, April 11, where a gospel choir will perform a concert designed to inspire and move your soul. Tickets for the event will be available to purchase on site at the registration desk, and proceeds will also benefit the AONE Institute’s research seed grant program.

So spread the word and tell your colleagues about the 2010 AONE Institute Online Auction, and mark your calendars for the Sunrise Breakfast.

Interested in donating a tax-deductible item for the auction? Contact Sara Neuner at sneuner@aone.org. Not sure what to donate? Use your imagination! Popular items from the Institute’s raffles in past years include: iPods and other electronics, jewelry, vacation getaways, and handbags).

See you soon!

Pam Rudisill
2010 AONE Board president