NSNA 62nd Annual Convention

Last week, several of my classmates and I traveled to Nashville, TN for the National Student Nurse Association Annual Convention. This is a fantastic professional growth opportunity that we were lucky enough to attend with the support of our program and school.

Each day there are several focus sessions, ranging in topic from "Improving Your Test Scores by Thinking Like a Nurse" and "Nephrology Nursing: is it Right for You?".

In the morning there were two different plenary sessions. Several nurses on a panel discuss their views on the same topic; the one we attended was about patient safety and the RN's role in keeping patients safe.

We also had the opportunity to meet representatives from various schools, hospitals, and companies in the Exhibition hall and sign up to be bone marrow donors and donate blood! (I couldn't donate blood because I'm anemic and currently on a long course of antibiotics.)

On the plane, ready to take Nashville by storm!

Three of us got American Red Cross Disaster certified!

The keynote speaker, Dr. Gloria Ferrara Donnelly, spoke to us about the importance of following our "hunches".

The future of nursing is in the hands of nursing students, because we are the future of healthcare!

Representing MATC in the Delta Atrium before we hit up the exhibition hall!

Swabbing your cheeks for 30 seconds to sign up to be a bone marrow donor!

Sporting our bone marrow donor cards!

Such a positive message outside of the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future iDream Workshop.

And of course, there was the opportunity to run a 5K and I had to take it! My time wasn't the best (28:05) but it was a great way to start Saturday!

I wasn't expecting the humidity that early, but it was a beautiful morning!

The money raised from the run/walk goes to the Forever Nursing scholarship fund.

It was an absolutely fantastic experience that I'm hoping we get the chance to repeat next April in Phoenix, Arizona! Then, we will be returning as graduating seniors! AHHHH!