Introduction
Gatherings held by professional nursing organizations can be beneficial for numerous shareholders involved in the medical sphere. Nurses often encounter significant issues related to their working conditions and psychological toll, especially in the contemporary pandemic environment (Arnetz et al., 2020). Frequent discussions between government delegates, legislators, and the representative of the nursing associations are crucial for properly addressing the emerging complications. As such, the Virginia Nurse Association (VNA) held a Hampton Roads Advocacy Hour 2, an organizational meeting accessible through the Zoom platform, on October 14th, and I participated in the event. This paper describes the attended gathering, outlining and evaluating the adopted rules of order, as well as analyzing the leadership behaviors manifested by the meeting’s executives.
Virginia Nurse Association: Mission and Vision
The discussed meeting was scheduled and conducted by the VNA, a well-recognized professional nursing organization. VNA represents the interests of the nursing workers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The primary focus of the VNA is to uphold the quality of the nursing employees’ working conditions and ensure that the nurses receive the necessary benefits for successfully performing their responsibilities. As such, the organization considers legal and regulatory aspects of the nurses’ professions, promoting a high-quality working environment for the individuals involved in this sphere (VNA, n.d.). The VNA formulates as mission as the activity to advance advocacy and education among nurses, positively impacting the quality of patient care (VNA, n.d.). Considering the broad span of the Virginian nurses’ occupations, the institution’s vision includes both specific and large-scale initiatives that enhance the nurses’ welfare and efficiently tackle emerging issues.
Conference Flow and Discussed Issues
The primary focus of the attended meeting regarded the topics of nursing advocacy and the current complications in nursing staffing and burnout. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, the nurses report remarkably high levels of stress and exhaustion, leading to high numbers of personnel leaving the profession. In this regard, the conference addressed these difficulties and suggested that nurses should receive appropriate mental health support from the community and clinical organizations. As the audience was comprised of various representatives, such as nurses, government delegates, medical doctors, and Virginia legislators, legislative and public policy concerns were also expressed.
Considering the highlighted difficulties, it was proposed that the nursing preceptor incentive program endorsed by the General Assembly in 2021 could significantly aid the nursing professionals by offering monetary incentives. After that, potential resolutions aimed at alleviating the occupation’s psychological toll included diminishing practice restrictions, offering the nurses a presumption of work-related infection, and clarifying prescriptive authority for clinical nurse specialists. However, the participants also outlined several crucial issues that currently decrease the quality of the nurses’ working conditions, specifically long-term professional involvement bonuses, travel nurse hires, and retention factors. Although not all expressed concerns were resolved at the meeting, I hope that the insights from the nursing professionals will allow the VNA to evaluate the discussed complications and create resolution pathways.
Adopted Conference Procedures: The Rules of Order
During the gathering, the members of the discussion were requested to follow Robert’s rules of order, commonly applied at conferences held by professional nursing organizations. The VNA officially adopted the newly revised version of Robert’s rules of order to govern organizational meetings and other procedures (VNA, 2014). Robert’s rules of the order allow establishing a universal pattern of communication between the participants, ensuring that the meeting is conducted efficiently and appropriately.
Following Robert’s rules of order, the conference was held in a formal meeting format. Firstly, the organization’s representatives welcomed the audience and outlined the gathering’s structure, providing information on the scheduled discussions. After that, the primary topic of the conference, the Nursing Public Policy Platform, was presented, and the legislators were introduced. Finally, questions from the public were accepted and addressed, after which the meeting was adjourned. The audience was requested to preserve rules of order, remain polite and considerate towards the speakers, and exclude emotional or personal comments. In addition, the sponsors prompted the participants to adhere to the topic in question, avoiding themes unrelated to the conference’s primary focus.
Maintaining an Effective and Successful Meeting: Leadership Considerations
Given that numerous individuals attended the VNA meeting, the organization’s representatives had to ensure that the flow of the conference was appropriately sustained. As the topic addressed was especially pertinent for the current environment, it was essential to preserve a formal atmosphere. In this regard, the meeting’s leaders demonstrated efficient leadership behavior and performed actions necessary for maintaining conference flow. A prominent example of successful leadership during the gathering is the behavior of the acting Senator, who participated in the discussions and ensured that the overall agenda was followed. Although the Senator did not attempt to significantly influence the group work, they observed the audience and always recognized members who wanted to offer a comment. In addition, the Senator carefully maintained the balance between individual contributions and off-topic suggestions.
Performing these actions has undoubtedly affected the flow of the conference, establishing the Senator’s authority as the leader of the meeting and allowing them to manage the discourse. Of special value is the Senator’s decision not to hinder the group work but promote ideas through collaboration. By minimizing the impact on the audience and slightly adjusting the direction of the discussion, the Senator sustained a balance between controlling the debate and allowing the members to participate in the event freely.
Conference Reflection
From my perspective, the described meeting was highly successful and effective, directly addressing the concerns of the nursing professionals related to the COVID-19 epidemic. As the nurses’ retention and burnout rates continue to grow, addressing this issue and informing the nursing staff on the current developments is vital for upholding public trust and involvement. Although there were some complications concerning the conference structure and availability, the difficulties did not disrupt the overall flow and were successfully resolved. The leaders efficiently performed their roles and facilitated an appropriate debate, which was a crucial factor in the productivity of the conference. Overall, this experience is critical not only for my future project but also for upholding group discussions and improving my abilities as a nursing leader.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Hampton Roads Advocacy Hour 2 conference held by VNA on October 14th was discussed in detail in this work, outlining the flow of the conference and the primary concerns addressed. Although it is considerably more challenging for nursing organizations to conduct professional meetings in the current pandemic environment, digital technologies allow holding the gatherings online, ensuring that interested parties can participate in the discussion. The most notable factor negatively affecting the welfare of nurses was outlined as the COVID-19 pandemic, which substantially elevated the rates of stress, exhaustion, and burnout, resulting in increasing retention levels. Considering this evidence, the speakers argued that it is essential to implement sufficient legislation, namely the Nursing Public Policy Platform, to maintain an appropriate level of the nurses’ psychological and physiological well-being. As the meeting was efficiently governed, I gained several insights regarding the necessary advances in my leadership competencies.
References
Arnetz, J. E., Goetz, C. M., Arnetz, B. B., & Arble, E. (2020). Nurse reports of stressful situations during the covid-19 pandemic: Qualitative analysis of survey responses.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21).
Robert, H. M., Honemann, D. H., Balch, T. J., Seabold, D. E., & Gerber, S. (2011). Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). PublicAffairs.
Virginia Nurses Association. (n.d.). About us.
Virginia Nurses Association. (2014). VNA bylaws.