About
At this point in time you may wonder what the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses, or GCAPN as it is sometimes referred to, is. The Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses GCAPN is essentially a professional organization within the field of nursing. The main aim of the organization is to represent Advanced Practice Nurses in the Gulf Coast Area of Texas, making it a local organization that you would benefit from most if you actually happen to live in that area. The mission and purpose of the group is to serve as an educational and networking resource to develop and promote the professional standards and practice of Advanced Practice Nurses. This is an admirable aim, and all advanced practice nurses need to belong to an organization such as this one in order to ensure that their needs are met in the best possible way and that their opinions and best interests are advocated for at a national and local level. The mission statement of the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses is as follows:
“The Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses ~ GCAPN ~ is a professional organization which represents Advanced Practice Nurses in the Gulf Coast Area of Texas. The mission and purpose of the group is to serve as an educational and networking resource to develop and promote the professional standards and practice of Advanced Practice Nurses”.
Membership Benefits
All associations have a number of member’s benefits which they use as a means of attracting more members as well of as a way of enhancing their industry of choice. The membership benefits offered by the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses are as follows:
Firstly you will, as a member of the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses, be eligible for free monthly educational meetings with clinical practice updates sponsored at local venues. The Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses is well aware that the best way to expand the industry is through education and consequently it seeks to offer as many educational opportunities for its members as possible. This serves to help you at a personal level, but also ultimately enhances the entire profession of advanced practice nursing as it creates a situation where the experts within that field are all highly educated and knowledgeable individuals who are truly specialists.
The Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses is also well aware that another aspect of education and career advancement that cannot be ignored is that of networking. It is by now a well established fact in society that networking is the best means through which to expand your career. As a result, the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses offers a number of networking opportunities to its members, allowing them to connect with each other across the board. For example you will, as a member, have access to the member’s directory available on the site which will give you the ability to make contact with other professionals in the field.
The association provides all of its members with:
- Advanced Practice Nursing issue updates
- Legislative issue updates
In this way you are guaranteed of being kept in the loop regarding important advancements and changes within the field. This will have a significant impact on your ability to perform your job to the best of your ability and will allow for you to make the most of your knowledge and of your career.
It is understand by the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses that not all nurses have the opportunity to study for their advanced practice qualification. As a result there are a number of scholarship opportunities for APN masters and doctoral program students, allowing these individuals to meet their dreams of becoming more highly educated in the field of nursing.
The Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses also provides a very comprehensive means through which you can find employment in your professional and in your area. On the organization’s website is the ability for you to post your resume. Your resume can then be viewed by a number of prospective employers. These employers can, in addition, filter the resumes according to their own criteria, making it far more likely that you and an employer will be a perfect match first time. The Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses is dedicated to doing everything it can to find you the perfect job in advanced practice nursing.
Students who are members for the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses can find a preceptor in the APN Expert Database because the APN Experts can post names to the preceptor list. This gives you comprehensive and easy access to the preceptors you need to get hold of.
As a member you will have the ability to access special Members Only sections of the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses website to easily contact any GCAPN member through the secure email service without exposing your personal email address. In this way open networking is achieved, but is still balanced with sufficient privacy for members. This service is only available to members.
If you have received an advanced degree in nursing you will also receive full access to information posted on the website of the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses which will be invaluable in your career as an advanced practice nurse as well as in your education.
If you have received an advanced degree in nursing you will also receive voting and election to office privileges.
If you have received an advanced degree in nursing you will also receive the chance to lead sub committees under the Board of Directors of the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses which will enhance your leadership skills thereby giving you a leg up in the employment sector.
If you have received an advanced degree in nursing you will also receive notice of events and announcements postings which will in turn allow you to keep up to date with the most recent advancements in the field.
If you are a student currently enrolled in an advanced nursing practice program you will also hull access to information posted on website, just like a qualified nurse.
If you are a student currently enrolled in an advanced nursing practice program you will NOT be given voting or election to office privileges, but you may be allowed to work on committees.
If you are a student currently enrolled in an advanced nursing practice program you will also receive notice of events and announcements postings, just like an advanced practice nurse with a qualification.
Membership Dues
Membership always comes at a fee. This is because there are publications and so on that you will have access to and the cost of these services and products must be recouped in some way. However, the discounts that you receive on things that you would otherwise have to pay full price for are significant. The fee structure works as follows:
- If you are a regular APN member you will pay $40.00 per year for membership
- If you are a regular student member you will pay $20.00 per year
Who Can Join GCAPN?
Membership is open to the following individuals:
- All Master’s prepared nurses or students seeking advance nursing degrees
- All Doctorate prepared nurses or students seeking advance nursing degrees
Please note that includes the APN, CNS, nurse educator, nurse manager and other disciplines.
Job Board
The association is dedicated to ensuring that you have the best opportunities possible when it comes to finding a job. AT the time of writing this article there were three job options posted on the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses’ website:
- Family Practice NP/PA East Texas : Longview, TX • Centrifuge Recruiting Services
- Neonatal NICU NP needed in East Texas: Longview, TX • Centrifuge Recruiting Services
- Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant: Houston, TX
Clearly the job options will change regularly as positions are filled and new opportunities are posted by potential employers. If you would like to have direct access to the job site on the coalition’s website, simply click on this link: http://gcapn.enpnetwork.com/nurse-practitioner-jobs
There are clearly a number of practical reasons to join the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses. For example there are a number of educational and networking opportunities that you will have access to and which will serve to expand your career. In addition there is what you might call an indirect advantage to being a member of this group. Membership tells prospective employers that you are truly dedicated to the professional and that you are willing to take your devotion one step further by participating actively in issues related to the field through your membership activities. If there is a great deal of competition for a position, this may be what ‘wins’ you the job.
If you would like to find out more about this organization you can mail the following address:
GCAPN
302 Crestwood Dr.
Seabrook, TX, 77586
If you would prefer to contact the Galveston Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses by email, please go to http://gcapn.enpnetwork.com/page/1624-email-us and fill out the necessary fields.
