Ms. McCloskey especially enjoyed serving as a member-at-large on the Executive Committee. “That was cool. To see what decisions they make and how they go about making them.” After being inactive for a while because of other demands on her time, she served on the Nominating Committee. In addition to putting together a candidate slate for elections, the committee worked on getting more volunteers and deciding how to spread those volunteers among the jobs that needed to be done. She was also involved in the awards processes.
‘The years I’ve been engaged are more rewarding. We have a lot of fun. We work hard.’
Personally, Ms. McCloskey says she has made a lot of friends. She gets personal satisfaction from her involvement. “It’s more rewarding as a member to feel I’m contributing and advancing the organization.” That sense of reward extends to the professional level, too. “Every time I come back from a committee meeting, I’m revved up and have a renewed spirit.”
Attending the Annual Meeting is invaluable, she feels, because of the scientific, clinical and educational updates, not to mention the networking.
After the Annual Meeting, nurses and doctors debrief together to share what they separately learned. The idea is, “How can we incorporate this into the practice?”
Asked how all this affects her colleagues, Ms. McCloskey says, “My involvement impacts the way they see volunteerism. They’re always eager to hear what I’ve learned at the conference. I download ACR SessionSelect to share. There are three sessions by an immunologist this year that I’m going to share with my co-workers.
“The annual conference keeps me up to date with the clinical and scientific updates. It is a concentrated, focused time. The organization is much more valuable to me when I’m more active. The years I’ve been engaged are more rewarding. We have a lot of fun. We work hard. The organization’s leadership is fun, too. We like what we do, so we like other people who do the same.
“Because I’m an RN, I bring clinical components to the table. I can comment on the feasibility of something,” says Ms. McCloskey. “I know that’s what I’m expected to contribute to the committee. I’ve been very happy with my experience. I’m really glad I got involved when I did.”
Ann-Marie Lindstrom is an independent writer and editor based in the Tucson, Ariz., area.
