APIC MEMBERSHIP SECTION LEADER HANDBOOK · 2019-04-30 · developing productive meetings/programs, handling administrative details of the Section, and providing continuity in Section

Last revised 07/2013 Page 1

APIC

MEMBERSHIP

SECTION

LEADER

HANDBOOK


TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

I. Purpose of APIC Sections 2

II. Guidelines for APIC sections 2-3

III. Leadership

a. Eligibility/requirements 4-5 b. Structure 6 c. Roles & responsibilities 6-7

IV. Election Procedures 7

V. Grievance Procedure (Improvement Opportunity) 8

VI. Relationship with APIC 8-9

VII. Annual Sections Schedule and Task List 10

VIII. Section Meetings 11

IX. Section Records 11

X. Menu of Activities (including activity descriptions) 12-15

ADDENDUM

XI. Petition for APIC Section Status 16-17


I. Purpose of APIC Sections

The primary purpose of APIC Sections is to advance infection prevention practices through the facilitation of

networking among members who share professional interests, areas of expertise and learning needs. Sections also

help to identify needs for educational programs and products. Other goals include: recruiting and engaging

members from a particular area of interest, providing a voice within APIC for sectional interests, and advancing

APIC’s vision and strategic plan in specific areas.

APIC section leaders should use this handbook to support section leadership in various efforts including

developing productive meetings/programs, handling administrative details of the Section, and providing continuity

in Section operations from year to year.

The handbook describes the functions and responsibilities of section chairs, section vice-chairs, the section

Leadership Council, the Membership Services Committee (MSC) and APIC. It is intended to be used in conjunction

with APIC bylaws, policies and procedures.

This handbook contains information on section program activities, meetings, educational programs, and

membership growth and participation. The programs undertaken, number of committees established, and

assignment of specific responsibilities will vary depending on size, capabilities, and desires of the individual

sections.

The success of the APIC sections program greatly depends on its volunteer leadership. Dedicated leaders and their

efforts to lead and develop new section activities make these communities viable and beneficial to the APIC

membership.

II. Guidelines for APIC Membership Sections

Section Criteria

1. The APIC section must maintain a minimum of 25 APIC members.

2. The APIC section must be free and open to all APIC members. Membership in each additional section will

cost $10 per section.

3. For new sections only - founding members must petition the Board of Directors for recognition as a

section of APIC. Petition must include a statement of purpose and objectives that advance APIC’s strategic

plan. Section status granted only upon approval of the Board.


Section Organization

1. An APIC section is a group comprised of a minimum of 25 APIC members with a common, self-described

area of interest.

2. APIC sections will govern themselves within the guidelines established herein.

3. APIC section leaders (chairs/vice-chairs) will meet annually at the APIC Annual Conference.

4. Each APIC section will have a chair elected by the membership.

5. Each chair should serve no more than two consecutive years. Each section will have a vice-chair and

leadership council to support section projects and programs and increase stability during times of

leadership transition.

6. Section chairs will be elected by the section members electronically in the fall. All newly elected leaders

will be announced just prior to the beginning of their new term.

7. APIC sections are not permitted to make public comment nor act as an agent on behalf of the national

organization without explicit approval from the Board of Directors or Executive Committee.

Section Responsibilities

• Sections shall complete an annual report (derived from minutes and activities) and submit by December 1 to

their MSC liaison. This information will be reviewed by the MSC and submitted to the Board of Directors for

review; a summarized version will be published in the APIC Annual Report.

• The section recorder (optional) will be appointed by the section chair and will provide written summary minutes

of leadership council calls/meetings to the group and APIC within 30 days following meeting(s). This recorder

should also post the most relevant and membership appropriate information on the section’s online community.

• Sections will provide expert assistance in respective areas of specialization to the Board of Directors and APIC

staff if and/or when necessary.

• Sections will provide recommendations for current, future, or potential development of APIC educational

programs, products and services. Any ideas or proposals related to current or future educational program, product

or service improvements are also welcome. Suggested items include but are not limited to: educational content

revision, educational program suggestions, new program or course ideas, or product development proposals that

can or may impact the Sections area of practice. The section must be willing to allow any developed program,

product or service, content modification or amendment to be shared with the entire APIC membership. Any of the

above should be referred to the APIC Professional Practice or Education departments.

• Each quarter, section leaders will communicate with their members using the MyAPIC online communities

provided by APIC.


III. Section Leadership Eligibility Requirements & Leadership Committee

Leadership competencies are a collection of skills and knowledge individuals must demonstrate to effectively

perform their jobs. Skills are an individual’s capability to do something such as think strategically or communicate

effectively. And, knowledge is the information and understanding an individual must have in order to be effective,

such as principles of accounting.

There are a number of critical leadership competencies and behaviors that Section leaders need to demonstrate in

order to be successful and fully contribute to Leadership Council performance and the overall success of the

section. Additionally, there are set eligibility requirements one must meet in order to serve. A listing of the

eligibility requirements and desired leadership competencies are below.

The section chair/vice-chair and members of the Leadership Committee must be:

An ‘Active’ APIC member

Section member for two years or more

Active subscriber to section community

Experienced in the field for 3-5 years

Certified in infection prevention and control (CIC) *

*preferred

The most highly sought after competencies and behaviors for members of the Leadership Council are:

Representing and advancing the profession

Acknowledge changes in the practice and the profession and the potential impact of these

changes

Helps others understand the Association’s strategy and goals, as well as their importance

Support the Association’s strategy and goals

Motivates and inspires others by helping them understand how their work supports attaining

Association’s objectives

Is open to change, new information and new ideas and adjusts rapidly when necessary

Builds confidence that profession/Association changes can be achieved and promote

opportunities

Helps identify the opportunity in changes and challenges

Helps others appropriately and effectively deal with change

Contributing to Section performance

Comes to meetings prepared for discussions

Contributes actively and fully to discussions

Supports all decisions of the committee


Promotes innovation by encouraging others to challenge status quo and take calculated risks

Respects and preserves confidentiality

Making astute decisions

Recognizes issues, problems, or opportunities and determines whether action is needed

Consults with and/or involves relevant others in decision making activities

Integrates information from all relevant resources to make sound decisions

Considers how choices and decisions will impact association, section and others

Makes timely decisions in the best interest of the section even if they are unpopular

Leveraging technology

Keeps current with technological advances both professionally and organizationally, that may

impact the section/association

Considers and shares how technological advances may impact the profession, association and/or

section

Develops strategies that leverage technological advances to improve processes and elevate the

profession/section

Uses electronic media to build relationships and conduct business

Developing self and others (building relationships & consensus)

Set high standards of self-performance and works hard to achieve these standards

Seeks input on personal performance and development opportunities

Admits mistakes and takes responsibility for failure

Learns from mistakes, experiences and feedback and moves forward while modifying behavior

accordingly

Encourages others to learn from their mistakes and supports them through the process

Mentors new leaders to promote their development

Creates a safe environment to keep people in dialogue; invites and incorporates the perspectives

of others

Recognizes and overcomes personal biases

Collaboratively works with members and staff toward solutions which benefit all involved

Holds self and others accountable for resolving differences

Follows through on commitments and promises

Treats all people fairly and with dignity and respect

Recognizes, rewards and celebrates the contributions/successes of others

Communicating for results

Communicates honestly and in a straightforward manner

Expresses personal viewpoints in a way that encourages open discussion

Encourages others to share their ideas, opinions and underlying reasons and assumptions

Adapts communication skills to make people feel comfortable and maximize communication and

productivity


Projects credibility and poise, even in highly visible and/or adversarial situations

Leadership Committee Structure

Each Section is governed by a Leadership Committee, consisting of volunteer leaders. The Leadership

Committee is led by a chair and vice-chair. APIC policies provide flexibility based on the individual

needs of each section. The staff liaison will assist each section to fill leadership positions at the

appointed time (fall of each or every other year depending on appointment terms).

General Guidelines:

1. Each chair will serve a term of two years, prior to relinquishing duties to vice-chair. Other

Leadership Committee members can be elected to serve one – or two- year term

appointments. A two-year appointment cycle ensures that terms are staggered for smoother

committee member transitions.

2. Each section should hold an open call for nominations for Leadership Committee membership

and leadership positions (chair/vice-chair) each fall. All nominees must be APIC members.

3. The section should determine the preferred size of the Leadership Committee (generally 8-10

total volunteers) and then select the appropriate number of At-Large Members (four to eight

members).

4. During election years, new section leadership/leadership council members should be selected

and announced by October 31, preceding the January their term begins.

Roles and Responsibilities:

1. Immediate Past Chair – provides historical perspective and serves as a resource for the chair

and Leadership Committee

2. Chair – convenes the Leadership Committee, coordinates speakers for conference

calls/webinars, works directly with staff and MSC Liaison to complete all tasks and

deliverables, provides editorial review and approval of all section documents and emails, and

serves as the primary contact for the APIC membership team and staff. Responsible for

bringing vision to the Section and utilizing the vice-chair, Leadership Committee and

membership to develop and attain goals that are in alignment with national APIC strategy.

3. Vice-chair- supports the chair in all efforts and assumes the chair position at the completion of

their term as vice-chair. Chairs the abstract review committee and selects abstracts for

submission (if applicable).

4. Secretary (optional) – maintains minutes of Leadership Committee conference calls and on-

site meetings. Coordinates the development of promotional material/copy and monitors the

online community.

5. At-Large Members – represent the section membership on the Leadership Council, participate

in annual program planning and provide ad-hoc leadership as needed for special projects or


committees. The number of At-Large Members will depend on the size of the section, the

number of volunteers/nominees interested in serving in a leadership role and the number of

section activities requiring active volunteers. Leadership Committee members support the

section’s vision and goals, chair, vice-chair and membership by driving and managing section

sub-committees working on projects and programs.

IV. Election Procedures

When a Section is formed, an acting chair should be selected by the forming group. Subsequently, the general

policy for nominations and elections should be adopted as prescribed below.

Election/selection process

The Section Leadership (chair and vice-chair) are nominated and selected by the full section membership.

However, the Leadership Committee roster will be completed by appointment. The section will conduct a call for

nominations and the section leadership will fill vacant positions from the submitted nominations/volunteer

applications.

1. Nomination and selection process by Leadership Committee

a. The Leadership Committee can identify nominees via professional contacts or through a

general call for volunteers to the section membership.

New committee members are selected and invited by current section leadership

committee without an election or confirmation of nominees by the membership. New

committee members should be confirmed by the end of October.

Removal

Any section chair or leader, regardless of the manner of election or appointment, may be removed by the

Membership Services Committee upon two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote, whenever in its judgment, the best

interests of the section would be served thereby. The chair or leader, to be removed, shall be given notice of said

meeting, at which a decision for removal is to be made, and shall be given an opportunity to be heard prior to the

final decision.


V. Improvement Opportunity

Policy APIC recognizes that volunteers have the right to raise grievances about any matter related to their volunteering (this could be in relation to another volunteer, a member of the paid staff, or the manner in which they are being treated by the APIC). The welfare of its volunteers is of paramount importance to APIC. The grievance procedure is in place to ensure that all volunteers and volunteer concerns are dealt with in a fair manner. Procedure

1. If a volunteer has a complaint against a member of staff, another volunteer or the organization in general they should first discuss this with their MSC/staff liaison.

2. If the MSC liaison is the person who the complaint is against then the matter should be referred directly to the staff liaison. If the grievance is with the staff liaison, the senior person from the Membership Department (Sr. director, membership & technology services) should be contacted.

If the matter is not resolved during this initial meeting/discussion, the complaint should be made in writing to the

Executive Office. This will require additional investigation and a meeting of the internal management and

governance team. It will be dealt with within fourteen days and treated in a confidential manner.

VI. Relationship with APIC

Support for Sections (What you get)

• For Section Chairs Only: APIC will pay full conference registration, travel to and from conference (up to $500),

and one full night’s lodging expenses to attend APIC’s Annual Conference.

• Each section will receive defined support from APIC to facilitate communication between them and the Member

Services Committee (MSC).

• Each quarter, APIC will contact section leaders to remind them of upcoming deadlines and solicit agenda items

for conference calls.

• APIC sections will have limited budgets to facilitate communication (conference calls, virtual meetings, mailings,

etc.) and will function within the APIC budget. Budgetary amounts will vary according to the size of section

membership and levels of participation.


Communicating with APIC (Who you serve and who serves you)

All section chairs should contact their MSC liaison or the associate director of membership and component

relations at APIC for help and encouragement in any matter of section administration. The associate director of

membership and component relations serves as the link between the section, APIC, the Membership Services

Committee, and the Board of Directors. Routine correspondence and communications are handled directly

between the appropriate section chair and the associate director of membership and component Relations. The

MSC liaisons and the Associate Director of Membership and Component Relations are responsible for keeping

each other aware of issues relating to the sections.

FLOW CHART

Following is a chart depicting the flow of section communication.

APIC Board of Directors

Staff Liaison (APIC) Member Services

Committee

Section Chair/Vice-Chair

Leadership Committee

Section Members

MSC Liaison


VII. Annual Section Schedule/Task List

• Section leaders should communicate with section members and post to the section community at least one time

per quarter.

January Conference Call

Section chair, Vice-chair, Leadership Committee, MSC chair and assoc.

dir. membership (CALL)

Section call for abstract CLOSES

Hold first monthly Leadership Committee call to begin development of activity

plan for the year

February 1st Quarter membership communication

March

Membership survey out (if applicable)

April Conference Call

Annual Conference planning (CALL)

Reception menu finalized (if applicable)

May

June APIC Annual Conference

Section Leadership Committee meeting

Annual Section Networking Receptions

2nd

Qtr membership communication

July 30 days after Annual Conference

Sections’ mid-year BOD report due to APIC

Topics for Fall webinars due

Section call for AC presentation proposals

August Call for nominations for section leadership (chair/vice-chair) due

Call for nominations for Leadership Council due

September 3rd

Quarter Membership Communication

Leadership election/selection process conducted w/ membership

Remaining leadership council members selected via membership election or

council appointment/selection

October Conference Call

Section chair, vice-chair, Leadership Committee, MSC chair and assoc. dir.

membership (CALL)

Finalize Leadership Council roster; new/incoming committee announced to

membership

Section call for abstracts OPENS

November Schedule standing time for monthly Leadership Committee meetings

Finalize activity menu choices by November 30

December Sections’ End-of-year report due to HQ

4th

Quarter membership communication


VIII. APIC Section Meetings

Whether formal or informal, section meetings are valuable. They allow members with like interests to

meet at regular intervals. In many instances even greater benefits are derived by individual members from

the new contacts and friendships resulting from meetings with other section members.

The section meetings, calls and webinars should be tailored to provide technical programs and accomplish

the current Section business. Section members should be allowed to participate in the selection process of

the type of meeting they would like conducted.

Other important factors for making meetings/activities successful are -

• Adequate planning of programs well in advance

• Adhering to a definite time schedule

• Directing technical/clinical programs toward the majority of the membership

• Arranging interesting meetings with educational value (not just a club meeting)

• When applicable, support outline for meeting agenda:

1. Legislative update

2. Regulatory update

3. Section activity/project updates

4. Section needs for educational resources and programs

IX. APIC Section Records

Section officers often accumulate a considerable amount of correspondence and other material. This

correspondence should be reviewed prior to the conclusion of each officer’s term and material that has

future value should be passed on to the new chair. An excellent way to do this necessary house cleaning is

to review accumulated records with the incoming officer and discard unwanted material. In general, the

records that should be maintained on a long-term (3 year maximum) basis are:

• Meeting minutes

• APIC memorandums/communications


X. Menu of Activities

To assist section leadership in assessing the relative value of and selecting specific activities, APIC

has compiled a list of options based on estimated costs and time/resource requirements.

By considering available resources (funding, staff support, etc.), section leadership can develop

an agenda for the year that achieves the highest quality program possible. However, APIC

reserves the right to make a final determination regarding the feasibility and timing of section

activities based on funding and staff time.

A variety of options are provided to each section, alike. Those activities available to all sections

are highlighted in yellow. Outside of these given selections, each section has the option of

choosing a select number of activities from the “additional” options based on the size of their

section.

__ ~ all sections will be offered and encouraged to take advantage of these benefits which

require no additional monetary funding

Menu of Section Activities w/ Allotted Staff Resources and Volunteer Requirements

Activity Cost

($$$)

Allotted Staff

Resources

(hours)

Volunteer Time Required

(hours)

Online

community/blog

(including resource

portal) on My APIC

social networking

platform

None Low

< 6 hrs/mth

High

8 – 10 hrs/mth

Mentor Program None None Medium

6-8 hrs/mth

AC presentation

proposals (optional)

None None Medium

Oral abstract(s)

submissions

(optional)

None None Medium

Networking lunch

during Annual

Conference

None High

Low

<6 hrs/mth

Speak/share at APIC

Chapter meetings

None/low None

Medium

Varies

Additional Options

Section newsletter None/low

Monthly: $5 - $380

Qtrly: $2 -$130

Low/medium

<6 -8 hrs/mth

High

8-10 hrs/mth


The number of “additional” options available to each section is displayed in the table below.

APIC Sections’ activity options based on Membership #s

Established Sections # of Members # of options

International 46

1

Long-term Acute Care 50

1

Minority Health & Safety

114

1

Veteran’s Affairs 178

1

Home Care 331

2

Behavioral Health 445

2

Pediatrics 503

2

EMS/Public Safety 813

3

Long-term Care 1490

3

Ambulatory Care 3182

3

Topical webinar Low

$1500 (ea) maximum

(including $200

honorarium)

Medium

6-8 hrs/webinar

High

8-10 hrs/webinar

Topical conference

call series (quarterly)

Low

Est. $50

Low

<6 hrs/call

High

8-10 hrs/call

Virtual section

meetings

(quarterly)

Medium

Est. $1,000 -$2,300

Medium

6-8 hrs/meeting

High

8-10 hrs/meeting

Membership

recruitment campaign

Medium/high

<$5K

High

8-10 hrs/mth

Low

<6 hrs/mth


Activity Descriptions

Online community – Each section is provided a virtual community located on MyAPIC – APIC’s

member-only private social network. The online communities allow the sections to facilitate

ongoing communication with their leaders and members throughout the year. Leadership council

members are responsible for creating and monitoring forum activity.

Mentoring program – Through the mentoring program, more experienced members/IPs can be

matched with new members/IPs. A successful section mentoring program begins with

APIContact, APIC’s mentoring program. Leaders should encourage their members to complete

mentoring profiles on MyAPIC and connect and share through the online mentor matching tool

and virtual community.

AC presentation proposals & abstract submissions – Sections are encouraged to share their

collective experience and expertise by submitting proposals for the APIC Call for Presentations or

oral abstracts. Submissions are reviewed by the Annual Conference Committee. Submissions not

accepted as a session are welcome and can also be submitted as posters (abstracts).

On-site networking lunch during Annual Conference – The sections will have an opportunity to

host informal, networking meetings during Annual Conference. No agenda is required as this is

simply an opportunity to chat and share ideas and best practices with colleagues and friends.

Speak at local chapter meetings – APIC has 124 local chapters. Section members can and should

volunteer to speak at local chapter events about hot topics and other relevant matters pertinent

to their area of specialty.

Section newsletter – Sections will have the option to publish an electronic newsletter featuring

news and relevant hot topics for their respective groups. Members of the Leadership Council or

other selected volunteers will be responsible for drafting newsletter copy. Upon submission, the

copy will be reviewed, revised and finalized by APIC and distributed using APIC’s e-blast system.

Topical webinar – Topical webinars are specialized seminars relating to current health topics in

areas of interest to the section membership. The Leadership Council is responsible for working

with APIC staff to plan an agenda, schedule an appropriate time for the event, identify speakers

and facilitate faculty invitations and a follow up planning call.

APIC provides the webinar technology, session management, and manages the pre-registration

and communications with registrants.

Topical conference calls- Topical conference calls are much like topical webinars, but they are

conducted via a teleconference bridge with no online component. APIC would provide the

conference call bridge and manage the pre-conference call registration and communications with

registrants. If applicable, presentations would be sent to registrants in advance. Registrants would

follow the audio presentation using the materials provided before-hand.

Virtual section meetings – Web-enabled meetings allow the sections to have more interactive

virtual meetings. In using this platform, call hosts and presenters could share their presentations

and other documents using a ‘screen share’ feature. They could also further engage participating

members through tools such as participant polls.

The Leadership Council would work with APIC staff to schedule and create meeting but would be

solely responsible for the development of the agenda, selection of speakers, etc.


Membership recruitment campaign – Depending on the climate and happenings within the

industry and/or profession, there may be opportunities to grow membership through targeted

recruitment efforts. In such case, the Leadership Council will work with APIC staff to create

communications and other marketing materials to draw members to APIC and/or specific

membership sections.


Addendum

XI. Petition for Section Status

PETITION FOR APIC SECTION STATUS

BY THE (Name of Proposed Section)

To The APIC Board of Directors

SAMPLE LETTER OF APPLICATION TO THE APIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(Date)

Board of Directors of the

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.

1275 K Street, NW, Suite 1000

Washington, DC 20005-4006

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Acting in the belief that the establishment of a (name of Section) membership section of APIC whose

purpose is to (statement of purpose) would be in the best interest of members and potential members

we, the founding members, petition the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and

Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC)to approve the petitioner as a section of APIC.

1. [statement regarding how the section will advance APIC’s strategic plan]

Our section will strive to meet objectives of the Sections Program as follows:

2. [list several attainable goals and objectives for the upcoming fiscal year using APIC’s Board

approved goals and objectives as a guide]

We understand that membership sections of APIC must be organized and operated in accordance with the

rules and regulations established by APIC as outlined in the APIC bylaws.

In compliance with the rules and regulations of membership sections we furnish herewith the following

documents:

1. A list of present members who will serve as chair, vice-chair, and section recorder of the petitioning

section

2. A list of at least 25 potential section members.


The status of petitioners as a section will be effective when APIC approves this petition by signing same,

and shall continue until either party notifies the other in writing of the termination of section status.

We hereby certify that the individuals listed below petition for APIC membership section status.

Approved by the following founding members:

DATE

(Section Chair)

DATE

(Section Vice-chair)

DATE

(Section Recorder)

Approved on behalf of the APIC Board of Directors by:

APIC President

Documents

APIC MEMBERSHIP SECTION LEADER HANDBOOK · 2019-04-30 · developing productive meetings/programs, handling administrative details of the Section, and providing continuity in Section