Over 3,100 participants attended the National Student Nurses’ Association’s (NSNA) 57th Annual Convention in Nashville, TN, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The Convention program included numerous focus sessions, faculty workshops, two outstanding plenary sessions, over 180 Career Expo exhibit booths, and the Drexel University NCLEX® EXCEL! Mini-review course.
Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address*
In her keynote address, “Making it Big—Nursing Students Stepping Up and Stepping Out,” Rear Admiral Carol Romano, PhD, RN, FAAN, Assistant Surgeon General, Chief Nurse Officer, U.S. Pubic Health Service, guided students on a journey through three themes: stepping up to address health care challenges; stepping out in addressing the priorities for health in the nation; and making it big by advancing the health of the public.
During the Opening Ceremony, national nurses association leaders, state nursing student association presidents, convention sponsors, sustaining members, and other NSNA® supporters were recognized and applauded. The American Nurses Association (ANA) President, Rebecca Patton, and the National League for Nursing (NLN) President, Elaine Tagliareni, EdD, RN, extended greetings from their associations. NSNA Scholarship Sponsors and Recipients were recognized, the Marilyn Bagwell Leadership Development Grants were presented to Remington College of Nursing, Lake Mary, FL and Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Honorary Membership was awarded to Andrea Higham of Johnson & Johnson’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future, and the Spirit of Nursing Award was presented to Arthur Yeh of California State University, Los Angeles, CA.
The Opening Ceremony was sponsored by Nurse.com, Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek. The Keynote Address was sponsored by Nurses Service Organization, Hatboro, PA.
Plenary Sessions
Thursday’s plenary session, “The Politics of Caring,” was moderated by ANA President, Rebecca Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. She introduced the topic by advising students that the “ANA believes that healthcare is a basic human right” and that “the stars are aligned by a new U.S. President and Congress interested in healthcare reform.” Suzanne Begeny, Director of Government Affairs, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Virginia Trotter Betts, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health were the speakers for the session. Thursday’s plenary session also featured award presentations to the Project InTouch winner, Brooke Garrett, San Diego State University, and the 17th anniversary of the Leader of Leaders honoree, Rosemary Mortimer, John Hopkins University Nursing Student Association. Thursday’s session was sponsored by the American Nurses Association, Silver Spring, MD.
Friday’s plenary session, “Nursing—The Career of a Lifetime,” advised on career advancement in an economically-challenged healthcare environment. The key strategies presented were: think about a career map in nursing, not just a job; actively pursue higher levels of education from the moment of graduation; and have one or more mentors who can provide guidance and encouragement. NLN President M. Elaine Tagliareni moderated the session and Judy Martin-Holland, Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Diversity Enhancement, University of California, San Francisco, CA and C. Fay Raines, Dean of the College of Nursing, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL addressed the assembly. Friday’s plenary session also featured award presentations to the Isabel Hampton Robb Leadership Award winner, to Brent Straley, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH. Mr. Straley is the President of the Ohio Nursing Students’ Association.
Each year the Isabel Hampton Robb Leadership Award is presented to a state president who has shown exemplary leadership. Also announced during Friday’s plenary session was the NSNA/Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek Writing Contest winner, Sheila Holman, Mercer County Community College, Trenton, NJ. Friday’s session was sponsored by the Alberta Government, Alberta, Canada.
Endnote Address
NSNA’s Top Program Awards were presented at the Closing Ceremony, along with introductions of the incoming 2009-2010 Board of Directors and Nominating and Elections Committee. The endnote address was given by Carol Grace Anderson. Anderson presented her Get Fired Up® message using humor and music to inspire us, and show how to take risks and cope with life’s challenges. She stressed that no matter what you do, what type of nursing you go into, or what role you play, “you are the CEO of your life.” We can’t always control the circumstances, but we can control our response. She focused on how to control our responses by reaching into new ways of thinking and spending more time with positive people. The Closing Ceremony and Endnote Address was sponsored by Catholic Healthcare West, San Francisco, CA.
Fundraising for Scholarships
The Annual Challenge and Music City Auction raised several thousand dollars to benefit the Foundation of the NSNA. On Friday, April 17, 2009, The Music City Auction raised over $5,700 for the Mary Ann Tuft Scholarship Fund and inspired several heated bidding wars. On Saturday, during a House of Delegates break, attendees pledged over $11,000 to support the general scholarship fund.
Election Results
The following officers were installed at the close of the House of Delegates on Saturday, April 18, 2009:
2009-10 Board of Directors
President: Kenya D. Haney, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO
Vice-president: Jill Beasley, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Cincinnati, OH
Secretary/Treasurer: Denise Landers, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Imprint Editor: Alison Faust, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, School of Nursing, New Orleans, LA
Breakthrough to Nursing®: Carylin M. Holsey, Lee College, Baytown, TX
Director (North): Evette D. Eubanks, Director (North), Research College of Nursing, Kansas City, MO
Director (East): Daniel Krall, Lancaster General College of Nursing, Lancaster, PA
Director (South): Diana Carbone, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University, Atlanta, GA
Director (West): Liz Patail, Linfield College-Good Samaritan School of Nursing, Portland, OR
Ex-officio and Chair, Council of State Presidents Planning Committee: Dana L. Jennings, Lynchburg General Hospital, Lynchburg, VA
2009-10 Nominating and Elections Committee
Chair: Carolyn Cook (Northern Election Area), University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN
Members: Jennifer Hawkinson (Western Election Area), Montana State University, Great Falls, MT; Devon L. Ippolito (Southern Election Area), Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University, Atlanta, GA; and Sarah Selz (Eastern Election Area), Radford University, Radford, VA
Resolutions Adopted
The House of Delegates passed 23 resolutions, in support of:
• Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention and Education
• Advocating Nationwide Continuing Education Requirements for Nurses
• Evidence-Based Nursing Practice
• Increasing Environmental Health Advocacy and Education
• Adolescent Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure Awareness and Education
• Including Global Health in the Nursing Curriculum
• Liability Protection for Paid Healthcare Personnel During a Declared Disaster or
State of Emergency
• Increasing Collaboration with Child Care Specialists
• Herpes Zoster Vaccination of Adults Over 60 Years of Age
• The Reduction of Unnecessary Noise in Health Care Facilities
• Vaginal Microbicide Development
• Increasing Identification of Preventable Pressure Ulcers
• Interdisciplinary Education
• Increasing Awareness of the Therapeutic Value of Music Therapy
• Increasing Awareness and Evaluating Competency of Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate Care
• Early Recognition and Intervention Programs in Healthcare Facilities to Prevent
Respiratory and Cardiac Arrest
• Workplace Data Collection
• Prevention, Awareness, and Nationalized Regulatory Standards for Methicillin-
Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
• Awareness and Prevention of Elder Abuse
• Electronic Health Records (EHR): Enhancing Patient Safety
• Increasing Awareness of Mental Health Disparities in Youth
• Increasing Awareness for Standardized Patient Care Hand-Off
• Utilizing Recent Federal Stimulus Monies Toward Nursing Residency Programs
Source: National Student Nurses Association
*Please see separate press releases on ww.nsna.org for full coverage of the Keynote
Speaker, as well as releases on the new NSNA president, the Foundation of the NSNA’s
scholarship recipients, the Leader of Leaders winner, and the Honorary Member.
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NSNA is a membership organization representing over 50,000 students in Associate Degree, Diploma,
Baccalaureate, generic Masters and generic Doctoral programs preparing students for Registered Nurse
licensure as well as RNs in BN completion programs.