President's Point

NONPF Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 1, 2001

Strategic planning is an exciting and challenging long-range process of matching trends, resources, and opportunities to determine and reach overarching goals. Tactical planning is the more immediate process of identifying a set of activities that lead to achieving the goals. The NONPF Board has been engaged in strategic planning over the years, continually refining the process. The last strategic planning session occurred in 1997, and the Board developed tactical plans each of the subsequent 3 years. To allow for flexibility and responsiveness, we have settled on strategic planning in 3-year cycles with annual planning for the objectives and activities. Our most recent enhancement to the cycle was to adjust the timing of our planning session to coincide with the turnover on the Board.

This is the year—2001! To be inclusive, we are inviting the NONPF Board’s outgoing and incoming members to be full participants in the strategic planning before the San Antonio annual conference. In preparation for the session, Board members have volunteered to serve on one of two planning committees. One committee will prepare a report on the changes in the organization beginning the year before the current plan and the 3 years of the present plan. The other committee will prepare a report on the external and internal forces that do and can affect the organization. Of course, there are several components to each report—for example, identifying the groups which NONPF seek to influence and recognizing the broader trends in nursing and health care that may influence us. The Board will consider these reports before the San Antonio conference, and then we will work as a group to fashion a plan that will fulfill our mission in a creative and productive way. The extraordinarily able Regis Group consultants, Marc Chinoy and Mark Lardieri, are key to the fast-paced group interaction process. The outcome will be a futuristic and feasible plan that will ensure quality NP education for the next 3 years and will advance our influence as the leading organization for all specialties of NP faculty.

To assist the strategic planning session, we plan to conduct a membership poll to assess the impact of our activities and products on our constituency. I hope to have broad participation by the membership so we have feedback on your use of our resources and your perception of the role of NONPF in promoting quality NP education. As well, we invite you to send us an e-mail to provide insight on some of the larger questions driving our 3-year strategic vision: (1) What are the key issues that nursing is facing as a profession?; (2) What is the future of health care in America?; and (3) What products does NONPF need to assist educators in preparing the NPs of tomorrow?

In my presidential address during the NONPF annual meeting, I will present a summary of the preparatory work for the planning session and will report on the State of the Organization. I will also present my view of the new strategic plan and the NONPF position in the scheme of future health care in the US and the world. In the weeks following the April meeting, we will post the new plan on our Web site and seek input from the membership on activities that will drive our tactical planning.

Earlier this month, I spent 4 days working with staff in the NONPF national office on activities to further the organization’s mission. As we faced one task after another, held several conference calls, and formulated plans, we matched important tasks to NONPF members with particular talents (you may get a call to action soon). It was invigorating to see the number of incredibly talented and willing individuals in the organization—starting with the Board, then the past presidents and the past board members, the members who ran for positions, the sub-committee chairs, the special interest group leaders, and the emerging leaders who meet us in the hallways or on email to express interest in being active. My point in this column is not just to recount strategic planning which undoubtedly you do not need. Rather, I am enlisting your help to strengthen the strategic planning process. Become engaged! Please look at our Web page for the latest on strategic planning and send us your comments, opinions, and helpful hints. I can guarantee that your voice will be heard.

Ever onward,

Lucy Marion, PhD, APRN, BC, FAAN