LAMDA Chapter Report
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Lambda Chapter Report - October 3, 2017
2017-2018 Lambda Executive:
President – Luanne Sutherland, sutherll@tbh.net
Secretary /Treasurer- Connie Johnson, conniejohnson@tbaytel.net
Vice President-Vacant
Education/Membership- Agatha Flanz, flanza@tbh.net
Membership:
2017/2018 membership has 25 members consisting of 20 Technicians, 2 Managers and 3 associates
Lambda Chapter Meetings and Education:
Dates scheduled for 2017-2018 meetings and Education sessions:
Sept 27, 2017 Event # 67718400 Education with Theta Chapter - Decontamination by Colleen Landers
Meeting for Lambda was cancelled due to unavailability of executive
Nov 22 2017 Event # 67719220 Communication Internal and External, Tammy Bennardo
Meeting for Lambda to be held @ 1500 hours
Feb 7, 2018 Event #67723115 Instrument Flexible Scope Repair/Transportation to Repair service
Meeting for Lambda to be held @ 1500 hours
April 11, 2018 Event # 67723500 Care and Handling of Orthopedic Instruments by Ryan Crozier
Meeting for Lambda to be held @ 1500 hours
Medical Device Reprocessing Classroom Course 2018:
The dates and sites for the 2018 Classroom THETA course are May 7th, 8th, 9th 10th and 11th, 2018 with host site Timmins. The Coordinators for THETA Chapter are Colleen Landers and Tammy Bennardo. Satellite sites are North Bay, Thunder Bay, Orillia and Sault Ste. Marie. Schedules have been submitted and registration will start on June 1st. Each site has limited numbers so registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
2017-2018 Refresher:
Cost: $340.00, which includes your textbook and workbook. If your certificate was earned in 2013, you need to register for a refresher course in 2017/2018 year. The applications for the course will open on-line June 1, 2017, and is open until Feb 1, 2018. Also, if you plan to write the CMDRT, please register as required reading and preparation material is offered in the refresher course. Make sure to register so that you write the exam before your certificate expires. Exam written on-line and a webcam required. There is no face-to-face writing.
MDRAO Website:
All members have access to resource videos at www.mdrao.ca site, so log-in as a member as you should have received an e-mail giving you a password access the members only site. Go to the Members Centre and then new Resource Library. There are over 20 videos there for you to view free. If you do not have a log-in, please e-mail the office at mdrao@ntl.sympatico.ca with your membership number and they will forward it to the webmaster who will e-mail you back. Registration is open on-line at MDRAO website. The exam is on-line, and this course and our textbook are the recommended documents to help you prepare to write the CMDRT exam.
Treasurer’s Report by Connie Johnson:
Lambda Chapter balance upon our last report of April 11, 2017 was $9,344.10. The Chapter received a $5,000 rebate from MDRAO. Funds were withdrawn to cover the cost of refreshments for the MDRAO course/teleconference in May, 2017. Funds were also used for postage and envelope costs to ship MDRAO promotional items to Lambda membership at the time of the MDRAO membership drive. Additionally, funds were provided to cover registration and travel costs for three Lambda members who attended the 2017 Conference. A fee was paid for a member to attend the Lakehead Operating Room Nurses Association Conference on September 15, 2017. The balance is $8,597.18 with $107.65 in shares to give Lambda Chapter a total balance of $8,704.83.
MDRAO Bi-Annual Conference:
Lambda chapter sent 3 members who said they all enjoyed the event. The theme was Canada’s 150th Anniversary, and the keynote speakers were inspirational. The next MDRAO Conference will take place September 2019. It will be MDRAO’s Golden 50 year celebration, so plan to attend this milestone event.
Communications Co-Director - Oct. 3, 2017:
I have the pleasure of being Co-Director with Stephenie Naugler from ETA chapter. I truly am enjoying this experience and want to express my thanks to Stephenie for her mentoring to bring me up to speed on what my role is in the Communications portfolio. I worked with our publishing associate Melinda Runkle from Naylor, who guided me through the challenges of creating the newsletter for July 2017. I was very excited as I opened the newsletter on-line and read it. Contributing and being a part of this provincial group is very meaningful to me. MDRD has a behind-the-scenes role in every hospital but is really the hub of everything needed for any patient experience. We must believe in our work and know how we impact the flow of patient care.
Since I joined the MDRAO Board in the middle of the session, I had a bit of catching up to do. Everyone made me feel part of the group immediately. I want you all to know how hard our Board worked to make the MDRAO conference "Measuring Success" in September of 2017, one of the most successful events to date. I will miss our Vendor Rep Andy Straisfeld, who we shared many laughs with and look forward to meeting and working with our new Vendor Rep., Tammara Champoux.
Sharing information is the only way we are able to make our jobs easier, smoother and more successful. We must always be ready to change to make it better for our patients. Communicating what we know and sharing it with each other will make this successful.
Lambda Chapter Representative Report—Oct. 3, 2017:
September has been a busy month! Lambda Executive members Luanne Sutherland and Connie Johnson, along with Lambda Chapter members Kelly Papineau (Thunder Bay) and Candia Anderson (Atikokan) travelled to MDRAO’s bi-annual conference in Toronto.
Sunday afternoon featured four interactive presentations and speakers on new and innovative equipment and practices in the world of MDRD. We networked with many of our peers at the Sunday night social, and it helped us to see there are others out there with similar issues and challenges in medical device reprocessing. We did bring home some creative ideas from all of our networking. Monday was an excellent day of keynote speakers, and we had an opportunity to visit the vendor booths and learn about new products and innovations in technology. The Monday night dinner and awards was a fun time, and the Canada 150 theme was a real hit. I had the honor of saying a few words about our own Cindy Cole from Fort Frances. She was given the MDRAO Lifetime Achievement award. I want to personally thank Cindy for her dedication and appreciate what she has done for all of us.
We were entertained by comedian Evan Carter and enjoyed the music and dancing. Tuesday’s panel discussion by CSA executive was interesting and informative. We made many new friends and the mobile phone app made it easier to network while at the conference.
Our Provincial Board is now starting to plan for the Golden Anniversary 50th MDRAO meeting for September 2019! Save that date so you can plan to attend. Being a member has its rewards. Reach out to your facility to let them know you are interested in going so that it can be planned ahead of time.
The refresher and distance course is now on-line, and the Education group is working hard to put the techniques course on-line. May, 2018 will be last classroom course for Theta.
The Fourth Edition of the MDRAO workbook and textbook has been printed, and it is currently the only Canadian textbook for MDR based on the CSA standards. This is a great item for every MDRD to have as reference book in your departments. As your Provincial Executive member, I look to our Chapter members to help shape our education needs and struggles here in the north. I appreciate your support and all of your input. 2019 will be an election year, and you will find information about all of the portfolios on the website.
Lambda Chapter will continue to focus on working to increase our membership. We need you to get involved so we can help our membership face the demands of our profession. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support. I encourage all of you to continue reading the MDRAO newsletter and visit www.mdrao.ca and logging in to the members site for information and articles related to our ever changing profession.
Luanne Sutherland,
LAMDA Chapter President
2017-2018 Lambda Executive:
President – Luanne Sutherland, sutherll@tbh.net
Secretary /Treasurer- Connie Johnson, conniejohnson@tbaytel.net
Vice President-Vacant
Education/Membership- Agatha Flanz, flanza@tbh.net
Membership:
2017/2018 membership has 25 members consisting of 20 Technicians, 2 Managers and 3 associates
Lambda Chapter Meetings and Education:
Dates scheduled for 2017-2018 meetings and Education sessions:
Sept 27, 2017 Event # 67718400 Education with Theta Chapter - Decontamination by Colleen Landers
Meeting for Lambda was cancelled due to unavailability of executive
Nov 22 2017 Event # 67719220 Communication Internal and External, Tammy Bennardo
Meeting for Lambda to be held @ 1500 hours
Feb 7, 2018 Event #67723115 Instrument Flexible Scope Repair/Transportation to Repair service
Meeting for Lambda to be held @ 1500 hours
April 11, 2018 Event # 67723500 Care and Handling of Orthopedic Instruments by Ryan Crozier
Meeting for Lambda to be held @ 1500 hours
Medical Device Reprocessing Classroom Course 2018:
The dates and sites for the 2018 Classroom THETA course are May 7th, 8th, 9th 10th and 11th, 2018 with host site Timmins. The Coordinators for THETA Chapter are Colleen Landers and Tammy Bennardo. Satellite sites are North Bay, Thunder Bay, Orillia and Sault Ste. Marie. Schedules have been submitted and registration will start on June 1st. Each site has limited numbers so registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
2017-2018 Refresher:
Cost: $340.00, which includes your textbook and workbook. If your certificate was earned in 2013, you need to register for a refresher course in 2017/2018 year. The applications for the course will open on-line June 1, 2017, and is open until Feb 1, 2018. Also, if you plan to write the CMDRT, please register as required reading and preparation material is offered in the refresher course. Make sure to register so that you write the exam before your certificate expires. Exam written on-line and a webcam required. There is no face-to-face writing.
MDRAO Website:
All members have access to resource videos at www.mdrao.ca site, so log-in as a member as you should have received an e-mail giving you a password access the members only site. Go to the Members Centre and then new Resource Library. There are over 20 videos there for you to view free. If you do not have a log-in, please e-mail the office at mdrao@ntl.sympatico.ca with your membership number and they will forward it to the webmaster who will e-mail you back. Registration is open on-line at MDRAO website. The exam is on-line, and this course and our textbook are the recommended documents to help you prepare to write the CMDRT exam.
Treasurer’s Report by Connie Johnson:
Lambda Chapter balance upon our last report of April 11, 2017 was $9,344.10. The Chapter received a $5,000 rebate from MDRAO. Funds were withdrawn to cover the cost of refreshments for the MDRAO course/teleconference in May, 2017. Funds were also used for postage and envelope costs to ship MDRAO promotional items to Lambda membership at the time of the MDRAO membership drive. Additionally, funds were provided to cover registration and travel costs for three Lambda members who attended the 2017 Conference. A fee was paid for a member to attend the Lakehead Operating Room Nurses Association Conference on September 15, 2017. The balance is $8,597.18 with $107.65 in shares to give Lambda Chapter a total balance of $8,704.83.
MDRAO Bi-Annual Conference:
Lambda chapter sent 3 members who said they all enjoyed the event. The theme was Canada’s 150th Anniversary, and the keynote speakers were inspirational. The next MDRAO Conference will take place September 2019. It will be MDRAO’s Golden 50 year celebration, so plan to attend this milestone event.
Communications Co-Director - Oct. 3, 2017:
I have the pleasure of being Co-Director with Stephenie Naugler from ETA chapter. I truly am enjoying this experience and want to express my thanks to Stephenie for her mentoring to bring me up to speed on what my role is in the Communications portfolio. I worked with our publishing associate Melinda Runkle from Naylor, who guided me through the challenges of creating the newsletter for July 2017. I was very excited as I opened the newsletter on-line and read it. Contributing and being a part of this provincial group is very meaningful to me. MDRD has a behind-the-scenes role in every hospital but is really the hub of everything needed for any patient experience. We must believe in our work and know how we impact the flow of patient care.
Since I joined the MDRAO Board in the middle of the session, I had a bit of catching up to do. Everyone made me feel part of the group immediately. I want you all to know how hard our Board worked to make the MDRAO conference "Measuring Success" in September of 2017, one of the most successful events to date. I will miss our Vendor Rep Andy Straisfeld, who we shared many laughs with and look forward to meeting and working with our new Vendor Rep., Tammara Champoux.
Sharing information is the only way we are able to make our jobs easier, smoother and more successful. We must always be ready to change to make it better for our patients. Communicating what we know and sharing it with each other will make this successful.
Lambda Chapter Representative Report—Oct. 3, 2017:
September has been a busy month! Lambda Executive members Luanne Sutherland and Connie Johnson, along with Lambda Chapter members Kelly Papineau (Thunder Bay) and Candia Anderson (Atikokan) travelled to MDRAO’s bi-annual conference in Toronto.
Sunday afternoon featured four interactive presentations and speakers on new and innovative equipment and practices in the world of MDRD. We networked with many of our peers at the Sunday night social, and it helped us to see there are others out there with similar issues and challenges in medical device reprocessing. We did bring home some creative ideas from all of our networking. Monday was an excellent day of keynote speakers, and we had an opportunity to visit the vendor booths and learn about new products and innovations in technology. The Monday night dinner and awards was a fun time, and the Canada 150 theme was a real hit. I had the honor of saying a few words about our own Cindy Cole from Fort Frances. She was given the MDRAO Lifetime Achievement award. I want to personally thank Cindy for her dedication and appreciate what she has done for all of us.
We were entertained by comedian Evan Carter and enjoyed the music and dancing. Tuesday’s panel discussion by CSA executive was interesting and informative. We made many new friends and the mobile phone app made it easier to network while at the conference.
Our Provincial Board is now starting to plan for the Golden Anniversary 50th MDRAO meeting for September 2019! Save that date so you can plan to attend. Being a member has its rewards. Reach out to your facility to let them know you are interested in going so that it can be planned ahead of time.
The refresher and distance course is now on-line, and the Education group is working hard to put the techniques course on-line. May, 2018 will be last classroom course for Theta.
The Fourth Edition of the MDRAO workbook and textbook has been printed, and it is currently the only Canadian textbook for MDR based on the CSA standards. This is a great item for every MDRD to have as reference book in your departments. As your Provincial Executive member, I look to our Chapter members to help shape our education needs and struggles here in the north. I appreciate your support and all of your input. 2019 will be an election year, and you will find information about all of the portfolios on the website.
Lambda Chapter will continue to focus on working to increase our membership. We need you to get involved so we can help our membership face the demands of our profession. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support. I encourage all of you to continue reading the MDRAO newsletter and visit www.mdrao.ca and logging in to the members site for information and articles related to our ever changing profession.
Luanne Sutherland,
LAMDA Chapter President
