HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hussey, D. H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hussey, D. H.

Volunteerism and Leadership: Making RSNA Work for You¹

¹ From the Radiological Society of North America, 820 Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Address correspondence to Marian Strassner (e-mail: mstrassner@rsna.org).

Index terms: Radiological Society of North America • Special Communications

For nearly a century, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has been a leading force in the advancement of radiologic education and research. The RSNA has been able to fulfill its mission and goals because of the high level of professionalism of its members and other colleagues, who generously share their scientific knowledge and administrative abilities. RSNA volunteers are the backbone of the Society. These dedicated professionals help the RSNA carry out its mission to "promote and develop the highest standards of radiology and related sciences through education and research" (RSNA Mission Statement; available at www.rsna.org/about/purpose.html)

At the end of each year, the RSNA refreshes its committees with new volunteers. These radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and other professionals bring new ideas to the Society and help create new synergies among existing committee members. In RSNA News and on RSNALink (www.rsna.org), members are invited to volunteer for service on their Society’s committees. Recognizing the many professional demands on members, the Board of Directors has incorporated a number of ways to streamline committee functions to make the most effective use of volunteers’ time. The use of phone and Web conferencing has also reduced the necessity for some travel by committee members.

The Board of Directors is seeking the names of members who would like to serve on RSNA committees. In addition, the Board is also interested in nominations of active members to serve on the RSNA Board of Directors or as an RSNA Officer.

The Company You Keep: Structure of the Board of Directors

The Board consists of the President, President-elect, and six active members of the Society. Among the six active members, the most senior elected member of the Board becomes the Chairman. Other active members of the Board hold liaison positions: Liaison for Publications and Communications, Liaison for the Annual Meeting and Technology, Liaison for Education, and Liaison for Science.

RSNA Officers

RSNA Officers consist of the President, President-elect (who also serves as secretary-treasurer), Chairman of the Board, Historian, and three Vice-Presidents—First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, and Third Vice-President—who are elected for a 1-year term.

Getting There: The Process

During the RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, a new member is elected to serve a 6-year term on the Board of Directors. During the second business session held at the annual meeting, the Committee on Nominations will report, in writing, the nominees for each open position. After this report, nominations will be taken from the floor, and the presiding officer will announce the time that the elections will occur.

Only active and associate members present at the annual meeting are eligible to vote. Election is determined by means of a majority of the votes cast. If there is more than one nominee for a particular position, votes for that position will be cast by means of ballot. In the event that no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the name of the candidate with the smallest number of votes is eliminated, and the procedure continues until one nominee receives a majority.

Minimum Requirements: The "Job Description"

While each Board member is responsible for a different portfolio, including a set of committees and the goals set forth in the Society’s strategic plan, some responsibilities and qualifications apply to all members of the Board. These responsibilities are classified in three categories—governance, individual, and volunteer. A Board member’s responsibilities as a volunteer are the same as those of every member volunteer. The governance and individual responsibilities are described below.

Governance responsibilities.—These are collective responsibilities that belong to the Board as a whole, not to any individual member, and consist of the following: (a) Determine the mission and purpose of the organization; (b) develop, evaluate, and revise the strategic plan and oversee its implementation; (c) develop, interpret, monitor, and revise policy and oversee implementation of policies; (d) determine, monitor, and enhance programs, activities, and services; (e) ensure the availability of adequate resources (financial, intellectual, human) and manage them effectively; and (f) ensure the legal and ethical integrity of the organization.

Individual responsibilities.—The individual responsibilities include the following: (a) Fulfill the responsibilities of the cabinet position by guiding and overseeing committees and other volunteers in the Board member’s area of responsibility and serve as liaison between the committees and volunteers and the Board and (b) implement policy when given authority to do so by the Board.

Qualifications

Those interested in volunteering should have the following qualifications: (a) A demonstrated interest in the organization; (b) experience in the area of the cabinet position; (c) a reputation as a good group decision maker (consensus builder, discrete); and (d) the ability to attend regular and ad hoc meetings and conference calls of the Board and appropriate committees.

Beyond the Job Description

No job description can capture the complete range of activities in which I have been engaged since my election to the RSNA Board in 1998, nor can such a description convey the pride and personal gratitude I feel toward my colleagues throughout the Society who have furthered the professional development of radiologists from around the world. Being an RSNA volunteer has personally been one of my most rewarding professional opportunities. The people I have met, the ideas my colleagues and I have developed together, and the results we have achieved continue to have a positive effect on radiology education and research.

If you would like to volunteer to serve on an RSNA committee, please contact the RSNA Director of Board Affairs, Barbara Jarr, by phone at (800) 381-6660, extension 7881; by fax at (630) 571-7837; or by e-mail at jarr@rsna.org. Please send Ms Jarr a copy of the curriculum vitae of each proposed candidate. If you would like to nominate an active member for consideration for the Board of Directors or as an Officer, please submit your nomination to the Chair of the RSNA Nominations Committee, RSNA, 820 Jorie Blvd, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hussey, D. H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hussey, D. H.