Washington State Assembly of the Association of Surgical Technologists
Annual Newsletter, Fall 2020
Meet your WSA Board: 
Officers:  
President-Valerie Smith, CST 
Vice President-Iris Garcia, CST
Treasurer-Corrie Reagan, CST
Secretary-Sherridan Poffenroth, CST, CRCST, FAST

Board of Directors:
Mark Martin, CST
Neal Cunningham, CST
Zsa Zsa Chin, CST
Sarah Rogers, CST
McKayla Housden, CST
President's Message

Dear Washington State Assembly Members and Friends, 

What a year 2020 has been thus far!  I hope that this newsletter finds all of you and your families happy, healthy, and in high spirits.  I hope that the warm summer sunshine has been good for your body, mind, and soul.  I will not attempt to put into words the myriad of feelings felt surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the multitude of other tragedies that have occured in 2020. In our line of work I have often been grateful for my health and the health of my immediate family. This year has made me fully aware how fragile life is and how fiercely I should love those who are important to me.
Canceling our spring workshop in Seattle was a difficult decision.  It is with heavy heart that our fall conference will also be cancelled. It is our hope, and our plan that we will be able to resume workshops in 2021. Your BOD and I are looking into scheduling webinars in the near future to provide an opportunity to earn continuing education credits.  Stay tuned for more information about that. Thank you AST for helping with our continuing education. Take a look at www.ast.org  for 10 FREE CE's.  
 I am grateful to be able to serve my community as a Surgical Technologist- a somewhat unknown team member behind the mask.  This year we celebrate National Surgical Technologist's week September 20-26. Please join me along with your WSA Board of Directors as we celebrate in our various work locations, in cities, and towns across the state.  Encourage your employers to celebrate with you.  YOU are an essential part of the team! I would love to see what you all are doing at work to celebrate.  Post it on FB and tag us, Surgical Technologists of Washington State.

Take Care, 
Valerie Smith, CST
WSA President 
NEWS CORNER

CONGRATS TO US!
Washington State Assembly received the State Assembly Leadership Award for 2019. 
This would have been presented at National Conference, but instead was mailed to President Valerie Smith!  





Covid-19 cancels events in Washington State and all across the country. 

14th Annual Scrub Bowl was cancelled due to Covid-19.  Stay tuned for a new competition in the spring of 2021.


National Conference in Atlanta was cancelled. Consider joining us in May of 2021.  More details via Facebook and email as soon as a new location is announced by AST. 
Those elected as delegates last year will serve as delgates in 2021.  If you were elected as a delegate for 2020, and are no longer able to serve in 2021, please contact the delegate chairperson, Valerie Smith as soon as possible so your replacement can be named. 


AST now offers 10 FREE CE's on their website to assist in your certificate renewal. Log on to your account at
 to take advantage of these. Once completed, the CE will automatically show on your Dashboard.  

CONGRATULATIONS TO CASSAUNDRA HOWLETT AS THE FIRST WINNER OF THE JAN OLMSTED SCHOLARSHIP AWARD!
Cassaundra is a student at Seattle Central College. 




save this link for next year's applicaton 
http://www.ffst.org/forms/studentfoundation/
UPCOMING EVENTS

SPRING 2021 WORKSHOP AND SCRUB BOWL
Date and Location TBA

FALL 2021 ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING & ELECTIONS
Date and Location TBA



If elections are not held until fall of 2021, we will be electing all nine positions to bring our board back to policy due to the missed event in fall of 2020. Consider where you might serve your colleagues as a member of the WSA BOD. 


A Consent to Serve and a Curriculum Vitae are required. Click these links to print and complete your forms. Please forward completed forms to our Credentials Committee Chair, Sherridan Poffenroth at [email protected]. 

Please read here the Duties of the Officers and Board of Directors to be fully aware of the expections of serving on an AST State Assembly Board of Directors. 

Nominations from the floor will be accepted. Please submit completed paperwork upon arrival to the annual business meeting. 


We would love to have you on the board or helping in a committee!  Candidates must be a current and active member for at least one year. Candidates for President must have served on the WSA Board within the last six years.  All Candidates should have a CV and Consent to Serve completed and turned in by the morning of the 2021 Annual Business meeting. See links above for paperwork and a list of duties. 


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National Surgical Technologist Week
September 20-26, 2020

ESSENTIAL SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST 

Posters and Surgical Technologist products are avaialable at www.surgtechweek.com  or call 800.822.1923. 




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 Annual National Conference

PLAN NOW TO ATTEND. 

NATIONAL CONFERECNE REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE ON FEBRUARY 1, 2021. EARLYBIRD DISCOUNT REGISTRATION IS 
FROM FEBRUARY 1 - MARCH 15, 2021.


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COMMITTEE UPDATES

Membership: As of September 10, 2020 WSA of AST membership totals 851 members. Of those members, 685 are considered active and eligible to vote. 
Military - 59   Students - 117   20+ years - 81

Fundraising: Continuous work is going on to provide you a variety of items to purchase at our events. We look forward to sharing them all with you soon!

Education: 
As we continue to bring education workshops to you, we are always looking for new venues and speakers.  If you would like to assist on the Education Committee in planning a future workshop, contact any member of the board for more information. Stay tuned for our location announcements for 2021. Remember to check out AST's additional free CE's on their website. 

Finance: Financial reports are public record to our membership. Please contact our treasurer, Corrie Reagan, if you would like to see our current report or if you have questions. Our 2019 financial report and budget were successfully submitted to AST in Janaury 2020.  Our mid year financial report was successfully submitted to AST in July 2020. Our current balance stands at $19,096.49. An annual audit will be scheduled as soon as travel and meeting restrictions are lifted. 


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At this time, we are not currently seeking any legislation.  If you are interested in more information, contact Mark Martin at [email protected].

Thank you Governor Inslee for the 2020 Proclamation for National Surgical Technologist Week! 
WSA of AST | Surgical Technologists |  http://wa.ast.org/
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