Would you like to join BACCN’s National Board?
BACCN are looking for new National Board Members, if you work in Critical Care, have served at least 12 months on one of BACCN’s regional committees and are interested in joining the National Board we would love to hear from you. Please can you email Karen Hill, National Secretary via Karen.Hill@suht.swest.nhs.uk
Here, two of our most recent National Board Members share their experiences of the benefits of joining the board.
"There are many different roles on the BACCN national board and I am currently in the role of professional advisor. This suits me as it allows me to use my expertise to help others. However, I would say I have learned so much from joining the board I frequently refer to things I have learned from my involvement at a national level in lessons and when guiding post-registration critical care students through their assignments and dissertations.
Joining the national board has allowed me to be involved in consultation exercises and provide expert advice to organisations such as NICE. I have been involved in developing 2 position statements which will hopefully provide guidance to nurses in their everyday practice. Working on the position statements has given me an opportunity to meet and work with critical experts from around the country. I have discovered many similarities but also huge differences in practices. I have had the opportunity to attend the national conference and to help manage such a large event. I have reviewed the abstracts for the conference which has provided a great insight into the enormous amount of innovative work which is taking place in critical care units and universities up and down the country. Most importantly joining the board has provided a forum to debate the important issues in critical care nursing and to help develop solutions. Without joining the national board I would not have had these opportunities or the opportunity to meet so many interesting people in the world of critical care."
Vanessa Gibson, Senior Lecturer, Northumbria University and BACCN National Board Member Professional Advisor.
"Being co-opted on to the National Board (September 2007) as Regional Advisor has given me an opportunity to experience first hand the workings of BACCN and the involvement and commitment necessary before becoming a full board member.
It usually takes about a year to come to grips with the functionality and ways of working of any board and this has certainly been the case for me. I have been impressed with the focus from the Board in their desire to act within the guidelines of the Charity Law predominantly governed by personal integrity, transparency and accountability to ensure that the BACCN is professional and credible.
To this end their vision is to be truly representational of the members and one strategy in progress at present to enable this, is the inclusion of regional members at the quarterly Board meetings. It is not only right but vital that BACCN have their say in important issues such as Presumed Consent for Organ Donation, NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) scoping work etc. But of equal importance is being able to address the members concerns which lead to working parties and Position Statements for example Nurse Prescribing and Restraint (Chemical and Physical) to be used in practice.
It is my aim now to build on the work that Vicky Quinn (BACCN Membership Administrator) has done in forming links and relationships with the regions in order to listen and act on the needs of committees."
Melanie Gager, Critical Care Follow Up Sister, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading and BACCN Regional Advisor for East Midlands, West Midlands, Anglia, Southern, Central South, Southwest, Wessex and the Military
