About Us

We are a Regional Society of SGNA (Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates), and as such our primary purpose is to bring the benefits of national membership to SGNA members at the North Texas level. In recognition of SGNA's purposes, the purposes for which the Regional Society has been formed and will be operated are:

• to unite in one Regional Society persons engaged in any capacity in the fields of gastroenterology and/or endoscopy nursing
• to encourage and develop educational programs
• to advance the technology, science and arts of practitioners
• to advocate optimal care for patients with digestive disease and those undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• to cooperate with other professional societies, corporations and governmental bodies.

History of NTSGNA

The first region chartered by SGNA

It all started about 1974, when brand new GI labs opened at Baylor, Presbyterian, and St Paul, joining the teaching facilities at Parkland and the VA. There weren't any procedure manuals; the equipment including scopes and accessories were still being developed - in fact, we made some of the equipment ourselves! In order to survive and thrive, the nurses started sharing what we were learning with each other. Casual visits led to organized educational meetings. Next we scheduled annual seminars, doing all the work ourselves, of course.

On the national level, GI Lab nurses started meeting in 1974 during the doctors' annual Digestive Disease Week. Starting in 1975, several of us were fortunate to be able to attend those annual meetings. We had an active role in speaking, planning programs, and formally developing what became the SGNA.

Back home in Dallas, we also formally organized our group, having great fun as we sat around a dining table and wrote our by-laws from scratch. It was an honor to become the very first regional society chartered by SGNA.

Out of those early endeavors, North Texas provided several leaders to the national group:

• Flo Shaffer, national president 1981-82
• Pat Crumlish, national president 1982-83, and
• Kathy Baker, SGNA journal editor
• (Cathy Dykes, who started at Presby Dallas, was also national president in 2004-2005)

How often can a nurse, or a region, serve as trailblazers in forming a new nursing specialty? NTSGNA members can still be very proud of our role.

Our bylaws will be available soon. Please check back later.

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