The way forward for nursing under one roof: NSNA 2018

Last week I had the pleasure of participating within the so-called National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) 66^vol Annual convention. It was great to be back in Nashville – an important city – but much more impressive was seeing over 3,000 nursing students from across the country come together to learn, network, and share their work and experiences.

The opening ceremony, awards ceremony and speech began with a speech by an area student and musician, Trevor Martin, performing the national anthem after which entertaining us with a performance of the song. Then, NSNA officers and special guests thanked quite a few sponsors and supporters of the organization and our occupation and presented several distinguished awards. Dr. Pamela Cipriano, president of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and former president of NSNA, delivered the keynote address, specializing in the conference theme of harnessing insight, inspiration and ingenuity in education and careers. Throughout the day of the convention, focus sessions and plenary sessions were held for each students and lecturers. In addition, every morning our colleagues from Lippincott Pass Point hosted the NCLEX® Mini Review, which was well attended by students, a lot of whom might be taking the NCLEX in the approaching months!

I spent most of my time within the exhibit hall with colleagues from Wolters Kluwer, sharing details about NursingCenter, Lippincott’s books, and nursing education products. Many nursing schools and health systems also presented. It was refreshing to see such interest from today’s nursing students. Colleges and universities had details about advanced degree programs and opportunities, and health system officials I spoke with highlighted their modern programs and curricula.

While most of the students who approached us at our booth got here to find out about NursingCenter, there have been also many who also got here to inform us about themselves! Regional, state and student leaders told us in regards to the work they’re doing and the upcoming events they might be hosting.

I’m guilty of getting a powerful attraction to nurses and I do know I’m not the just one! Our pocket nursing cards have been a success and it was great to share that we’ve a growing collection of them online.

Student groups sold clothes and accessories to boost money, and the T-shirts featured very clever captions like these:

My favorite a part of this experience was taking a look at the posters. The sheer variety of posters on display amazed me! In addition, students stood by their posters, tight and able to discuss the work they’d done. From sharing their experiences of studying abroad and the importance of understanding global issues in healthcare and nursing, to tackling clinical topics corresponding to sepsis and veteran suicide, the long run is vivid and promising for these students! Tomorrow’s nursing leaders are on the best way!