2003 Dues, Annual Mtg, & Certification Committee

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I know it's been awhile since I last posted any kind of general TFCA

update & all I can say is that life as the Acting Director isn't all it's

cracked up to be!

First up, everyone's favorite subject-Dues. During the 2nd Annual

meeting in Las Vegas in May the membership approved an increase in TFCA

Annual Dues for 2003. Therefore, the Governing Body has approved an across

the board $10 increase for each category of membership & 2003 Membership

forms, reflecting this increase, are available on the TFCA website @

http://www.tfcassociation.org/membership_enrollment_form.htm. We would ask

that all current members who plan to re-enroll for 2003 visit the website &

download the appropriate enrollment form, complete it, & mail it in with

your dues payment (this will also help reduce postage costs for TFCA). 2003

Member cards & Resource Guide supplements will be distributed at the 11th

Annual UNOS Tx Mgmt Forum in New Orleans in May, for those members in

attendance, & mailed to those who aren't. If you aren't a current member of

TFCA, there's no time like the present to join, right? Complimentary, with

paid membership, is " The TFCA Resource Guide for the TFC " -well worth the

cost of the dues, if we do say so ourselves.

The 3rd Annual TFCA Meeting is now scheduled for Sunday, May 4 at the

Sheraton New Orleans. The 11th Annual UNOS Transplant Mgmt Forum is Monday,

May 5 - Wednesday, May 7, again at the Sheraton New Orleans. Preconference

Workshop is Monday morning with the Main Forum beginning at 1pm Monday

afternoon & ending at approximately 3:30 pm Wednesday, May 7. Further

agenda details for the Forum will be posted here, as well as the TFCA

website & the UNOS website as they become available. Tentative agenda items

currently for the TFCA Meeting include Election of new Trustees &

ratification of the TFCA By-Laws. Further information will also be posted

as soon as it becomes available.

Now, for the really exciting stuff-the TFC Certification Exam. Being

firm believers in NOT re-inventing the wheel, the TFCA Governing Body has

held preliminary discussions with the American Board of Tx Coordinators re:

the development of the TFC Certification Exam. The ABTC Board will meet

next month by conference call to formally vote on this proposal; assuming it

is approved, a Memorandum of Understanding between ABTC & TFCA would be

developed for both the creation and administration of the exam. Based on

ABTC's prior experiences with NATCO & ITNS, among others for example, the

estimated development time is approximately 12-18 months. Among the issues

to be decided would be the number of years the certification is valid for,

experience required to be eligible to take the exam, & continuing education

requirements as well as study tools for TFCA members (though the Resource

Guide would obviously play a large part in that). ABTC utilizes computer

based testing for the exams they currently give & the test itself can be

taken at most H & R Block offices nationwide-cuts on the travel expenses,

right? We will be looking for TFCA members of all experience levels, & all

size programs, to participate in this process as will members of the TFCA

Governing Body (something to think about as we look for candidates for

Trustee!)

So, I hope this exciting news makes up for the lack of news the past

several months. Happy Holidays to each of you & I look forward to seeing

you all in New Orleans for beignets in May!

J. Aguiar

Beth Israel Deaconess, Boston