Association News
National Volunteer Week
Neonatal nurses and APRNs constantly volunteer their own time and resources to provide exceptional care. Your remarkable efforts spread joy to patients, families, and fellow nurses in stressful situations. This year's National Volunteer Week is April 7-13, 2019, and we want to highlight YOU and your amazing colleagues! Please submit a brief summary of your volunteer efforts or those of your peers to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday, April 1, 2019. Some sample submissions could be NICU crafting projects or facilitating donations from your communities! The selected testimonies will be shared to inspire fellow healthcare professionals, families, and former patients to pay it forward during National Volunteer Week. We look forward to your motivational stories!
Stand Out in Your Profession and Receive a FREE Conference Registration
The NANN and NANNP Individual Awards are now open! Please consider applying or nominating a colleague for one (or more!) of these outstanding NANN offerings. All awards winners will receive:
- Complimentary 2019 annual conference registration
- $500 stipend for travel and hotel accommodations
- $250 honorarium
- Recognition and a trophy at the 2019 annual conference.
The deadline to apply or nominate a candidate for NANN individual awards is Friday, May 3, 2019. Apply today!
New NANN Election Process
The NANN Board of Directors and the NANNP Council recently voted to move to an uncontested election this year.
Moving from a contested to an uncontested election is becoming more common and there is growing evidence that this practice is strongly linked to high-performing organizations. The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Foundation and its Research Committee conducted a 2-year study in which they surveyed 340 associations on their board recruitment and selection practices. The aim of the research was to help association executives and leadership refine or modify recruitment and selection practices that support optimal board performance.
Here are some key findings from that research:
- Over 50% of associations hold uncontested elections (the majority)
- Competencies are the biggest determinant in high-performing boards
- Uncontested elections increase the candidate poll when coupled with clearly defined competencies. There are no longer winners and losers—a huge deterrent for associations that hold competitive elections—and members can self-vet to determine if their background and expertise align with the competencies needed during a given election cycle
- A small minority of members vote in association elections, approximately 7%
So what does this change mean for NANN and NANNP? Overall, the nominations process remains largely unchanged. As in the past, there will be an open Call for Nominations, where members can nominate fellow members or self-nominate. The nominations committees will continue to have authority to review and vet the candidates and finalize the slate. The only difference is that the NANN and NANNP Nominations Committees will select one person for each open position, which will be published to the membership prior to being ratified.
To ensure there is transparency around the new process and how candidates will be evaluated, the Call for Nominations will include a detailed outline of the new election process, the election timeline, and a list of desired competencies for this year’s election cycle.
Our goal is to build a diverse, balanced, and competent leadership body. We hope that you will help us by participating in the upcoming Call for Nominations starting on Monday, March 25.
NANN Footprints: Stories from the NICU
Remember, Mom’s a NICU Nurse
February 2019
Jennifer Thomas, RNC-NIC
I loved the NICU from the moment I set foot in the doors on my first share night, it pulled me in the way no unit during nursing school had. I knew it was where I was meant to be. I loved my job, every bad day, helping parents as they said goodbye was made better by the more common good days as I walked a new family out the door to discharge or I helped a new mom breastfeed for the first time. After 7 years, I felt like I belonged, I felt like I made a difference and I felt like I could empathize with the families. Now pregnant with my first baby, I felt like I too was in the mom club. I was young, I was healthy, and like most every mom who has a NICU baby, I can tell you, the NICU was not part of my plan... Read more
Interested in sharing your NICU narrative? Visit nann.org/footprints for more information!
35 Years of NANN
Celebrate 35 years of NANN by browsing through our history page. NANN has come a long way since our inception in 1984! Did you know Neonatal Nurses Day was created by our New Jersey chapter in 2000 and the first NANN newsletter launched in 1988? We deeply appreciate our members’ support through the past few decades and can’t wait for the next 35 years!
Elevate your unit by encouraging your nurses to join NANN!
As an engaged NANN member, we’re relying on you to grow our NANN community and strengthen the industry. Spread the word about NANN’s group membership, built to help new members save on all the benefits membership offers. Post a sign-up sheet in your unit and utilize our member recruitment toolkit during the next staff huddle or meeting.
We appreciate your commitment to strengthen the neonatal nursing profession by growing the national association!
Retired Membership Category—Save $50 on Your Renewal!
NANN values our most seasoned professionals in neonatal nursing. As a token of our appreciation, we are thrilled to announce our Retired Membership category at a discounted price of $80 to retired members, ages sixty-five and over! Retired members do not receive the Advances in Neonatal Care and may not hold office, however, they still retain voting rights, continue to participate on committees and receive all other regular membership benefits.
Learn More about Retired Membership qualifications and how to renew today!
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