1. Recruitment Events  Educational Dinners: During 2011 and the beginning of 2012, our Chapter held quarterly educational dinners with an average of 70–100 attendees at each event. Some topics presented were Hemodynamic Stabilization, Traumatic Brain Injury, Procalcitonin, Emerging Gram-Negative Resistance, and Management of Pain and Fever in Surgical and Critical Care Patients. A certificate of attendance is available for each topic and can be used toward CE credit for RN licensure. These events are advertised throughout Region 18. *Vendor sponsored.  Symposium: In 2011, our Chapter had approximately 250 health care providers attend our annual Currents In Critical Care Symposium. This is a great opportunity for nurses to network and earn up to 30 CE credits from nationally acclaimed speakers. *Vendor sponsored.  PCCN/CCRN Review Course: Over 100 RNs attend our annual PCCN/CCRN Review Course. MTS members are eligible for discounted tuition. Our Chapter recently contracted with a local, critical care education consulting group to provide quality speakers at affordable rates.  Regional Critical Care Consortium: Each year, between 250-300 critical care RNs attend our regional Consortium. The Consortium is a collaborative effort between the MTS Chapter and hospitals in our region to provide high quality education to prepare nurses for critical care and progressive care.  Scholarship Opportunities: Our Chapter awarded three NTI scholarships in 2011 and four NTI scholarships in 2012 to members seeking financial assistance to attend NTI. Portions of the four winning NTI scholarship essays were published in the MTS quarterly newsletter. These winners are also required to submit an article for our newsletter which will hopefully encourage other nurses to apply next year. Our Chapter also offer a Merit Scholarship to members based on the number of hours they have invested in the Chapter during the previous year that can be used toward any educational event.  “Touched by a Nurse” Grant: Our Industry Relations Chairperson has developed a *vendor, business, and patient-sponsored grant for nurses that are still working at least 80% at the bedside called Touched by a Nurse. The grant was developed to assist nurses still involved in direct patient care to attend educational offerings of their choice.  Raffle Ticket Prizes: During all of our numerous events, Our Chapter holds raffle ticket drawings and give away prizes, including a one year national AACN and a local MTS Chapter membership, annual symposium registration, and PCCN/CCRN review course registration. *Vendor sponsored. *These events were possible due to the unrelenting efforts of our Industry Relations Chairperson. Dilemma Lack of participation and difficulty filling Board positions. The mission of the Mountain to Sound Chapter of AACN is to represent, promote, and provide guidance for the practice and growth of critical care nurses. Our mission became challenging to fulfill because of declining active membership and difficulty filling Board positions. Objective Increase member involvement and create a standardized mentoring program to ease new Board members into their positions. Increase Member Involvement  Education Committee: The most popular method for members to become more involved with our chapter is through the Education Committee. The Education Committee currently has 26 members. The Education Committee plans our various education and social events, such as PCCN/CCRN Review Courses, educational dinner events, and our annual Critical Care Symposium. Through these events, the Chapter able to promote the chapter and increase participation in the Education Committee. The Committee meets monthly at a consistent, centralized location to accommodate attendance. There are numerous volunteer opportunities to meet various skill sets and allow our members to commit to the number of hours as their schedule permits. Through months of planning for symposium, education committee members are assigned specific tasks at this annual event and, in exchange, their registration fee is waived.  Board Meetings: Our Chapter has increased the Board Meeting attendance by starting the meeting with journal club presentations. Different Board Members and Members at Large sign up each month to present on a nursing topic of their choice, send out an article to read related to the topic, and lead the discussion. Some topics that have been discussed this year are Heart Failure, Multimodality Monitoring in Neurocritical Care, CAM Application, and Nutrition in the Critical Care Setting. This year, Board Meeting attendance has increased 30%.  Board and Chair Positions: All 11 Board and Chair positions are currently filled. Chair positions require at least one year of commitment, but two years is preferred. Past Board Members are supportive and available with assistance.  Merit Scholarship: A Merit scholarship is an annual award Chapter members can apply for which is based on local, regional, and national AACN activities along with other professional activities (publications, presentations, etc.). Merit scholarship recipients have two years to use their award money towards an educational event of their choice. What Our Chapter Is Working OnWhat Our Chapter Has Done  Finalize job descriptions to standardize job responsibilities and time requirements to ensure that the Chapter finds the appropriate applicant to fill the position.  Update our membership database to send membership renewal reminders, Board Meeting and Education Committee meeting reminders, and for priority registration for MTS Chapter events. The Board is also working on building an email list of non-members that attend our events so they can be contacted and encouraged to join our Chapter and/or volunteer.  Establish a formalized mentorship program to ensure a smooth transition from the current Chairperson to the next elect. Prior to the end of the current Chairperson’s term, the Board is identifying the next elect and beginning the mentorship process. To standardize the process, the Board is creating a policy to support this transition. The MTS Chapter of AACN Chapter Officers 2011-2012: President Judy Borish, President-Elect Pat Blissitt, Secretary Darla Saville, Treasurer Mary McCarthy, Education Chair Karen Paulsen, Membership Chair Cassandra Krumpelmann, Industry Relation Chair Birgit Weeks, Community Outreach Pamela Popplewell, Advanced Practice Liason Melissa Hutchinson, Newsletter Diana Lodzinski, Website/Informatics Khanhvy Doan COLLYN WEST, RN, BSN, PCCN VA PUGET SOUND, SEATTLE WA KHANHVY DOAN, RN, BSN VA PUGET SOUND, SEATTLE WA CASSANDRA KRUMPELMANN, RN, MN, MSN, CCRN, FNP-BC VA PUGET SOUND, SEATTLE WA & SPU ADJ FACULTY