By Linda Hart, ACNP, RN, AACC, DNP, chair of the CV Team Advocacy Work Group.

The Cardiovascular (CV) Team Section Leadership Council met Feb. 3 – 4 at Heart House for the inaugural retreat. Janet Wyman, AACC, DNP, RNCS, and George P. Rodgers, MD, FACC, led the retreat with moderation by Douglas Weaver, MD, MACC.

The list of attendees included all members of the multidisciplinary CV Team Leadership Council, CV Team work group chairs, ACC leadership and ACC staff. The one-and-a-half day meeting used a think-tank approach with small focus group integration to evaluate focus areas such as data, information and knowledge, purposeful education, advocacy, member value and engagement, and population health goals.

Each member of the CV team – advanced practice registered nurses, physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists and physicians assistants – worked collaboratively with key ACC staff and leadership to evaluate these focus areas. As moderator, Dr. Weaver asked the participants to use the framework of where are we now and where do we want to be (goals). SWOT analysis format was used to identify the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Each topic was then analyzed for the depth of the gap, and steps to close the gaps were discussed. Metrics were identified to measure the success of each strategic plan.

Overarching themes emerged including the CVT council becoming the leader within the College of information on team-based care disciplines and transformation of care. This concept permeates committees, councils, education, advocacy, membership, engagement on the state and national levels, and population health. Next steps include each focus group meeting to further refine their goals and strategies with the aim for developing a CVT specific strategic plan.