It was a very energetic year. Identify your department's involvement in MnSGNA, or an accomplishment of a colleague, and perhaps your own accomplishment/ involvement in MnSGNA and/ or SGNA- The list is remarkable! See if you don't agree.

MnSGNA Board of Directors:

The MnSGNA Board of Directors committed to sending their President to the Leadership Conference, February, 1998. We haven't slowed down since!

• Spent a hot summer Friday night in July self-sequestered in a hotel room plowing through the draft Bylaws, preparing them for member ratification
• Bonded the office of Treasurer
• Sought legal counsel about the Bylaws
• Attained State of Minnesota Governor's Proclamation for GI Nurses Day
• GI Nurses Day: designed a bookmark and enclosed it, along with a copy of the Proclamation, in a personal greeting to each member for a Special GI Nursing Day
• Five of 6 attended Annual Course in Denver, 4 of which attended HOD Workshop
• Obtained an EIN/Tax ID number
• Appointed Chair of Membership Recruitment and Retention Committee with Director-at-Large as liaison
• Developed New Member Informational Packet; well received 
• Instituted Board meeting at Fall course
• Increased Board membership by 2 to 8
• Provided Fundamentals of Patient Care and Environmental Safety course; 57 registrants
• Awarded scholarships, prizes, etc. for educational activities in excess of $9,000.00
• Conducted a needs assessment at the Fall course (educational content, breakout sessions, hours of travel time to course, locations, Saturday evening's entertainment)
• Began to plan strategically for the future
• Sent President-Elect to Leadership Conferences in Texas and Chicago

Members:

• Home of SGNA President-Elect!
• Six or more serve at the National level (committees, SIG chairs, etc.) Two are on National 1999-2000 SGNA ballot
• Attended a landmark event in the East Room of the White House in September with Hilary Rodham Clinton, spokesperson for the promotion of Colorectal Cancer Screening
• Voted in the annual MnSGNA election- 43% of members returned their ballots! 64% of members returned ballots In the National election!
• Approved Bylaws revisions
• Published, or submitted and were accepted for publication, 3 articles in Gastroenterology Nursing
• Five were Contributors or Reviewers in the 1998 publication of the 2nd Ed. of Gastroenterology Nursing: A Core Curriculum
• Contribute as Research Department Editor for Gastroenterology Nursing journal
• Serve as President, SGNAFER
• Continue commitment to networking and best practice for improved patient outcomes with bi-monthly meetings of the Twin Cities Endoscopy Managers Group
• Twelve served as faculty at MnSGNA-sponsored educational events
• Hosted quarterly dinner meetings with one-hour educational opportunity for members, as well as non-members, in the metropolitan area
• Forty-five persons from MN, ND and SD (some non-members) attended the Annual Course in Denver. Colorado!
• Four became newly certified in GI nursing!
• Made a quilt and donated it for raffle at the Fall course
• Submitted Poster Presentations (3) at Annual Course; each selected for Walkaround sessions: a Third Place ribbon for one!
• Sixteen participated at the MnSGNA booth at Regional Night in Denver
• Solicited funds to obtain professional design of Web Page
• Have scheduled Maintenance and Care of Endoscopes seminar by Olympus America in the Twin Cities for February 1999
• Donated 19 gift baskets for prize drawings at the Fall course, compliments of 13 various institutions from across Minnesota and North Dakota
• 34% are CBGNA certified
• Members of Minnesota Hepatitis C Coalition
• Serve on Board of Trustees of Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA)
• Member International Foundation of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD)
• Serve on Board of Trustees of International Foundation of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD)
• Six accepted nominations for 4 open MnSGNA Board positions

Fall Course 1998:

• Attendance 165: 92 members, 73 non-members 
• Participation of 33 Vendors
• Awarded $1000 prize drawing for attendance at Annual Course in Nashville 
• Awarded prize of one SGNA paid membership for 1999

Contributions:

• Race for the Cure $100.00

• SGNAFER $500.00