WVU School of Nursing students attend National Student Nurses Convention
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Five West Virginia University School of Nursing students from the Morgantown and Keyser campuses recently attended the 70th Anniversary Convention of the National Student Nurses Association. Hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah, the convention was held April 6-10 with a theme of “Here’s to the Heroes.”
WVU nursing student attendees included Paige Brill, Jenna Wermers, Hannah Zbinden, Aubrey Gahagen and Ateria Walker (pictured from left above).
“It has been three years since we attended a national conference, so this was a fantastic experience for our students to network with other students from other universities,” said Christy Barnhart, Director of Nursing Simulation and Associate Professor of Clinical Education, who accompanied the students on the trip, along with Jane Dailey, Administrative Associate & Assistant for Nursing Simulation.
The convention hosted hundreds of nursing students and offered specialty nursing areas, various education workshops and networking opportunities with nursing leaders. The convention also offered students a chance to learn new skillsets and test taking strategies, including a live NCLEX review. They also had a chance to meet with exhibitors from employment and academic settings.
“I love working with nursing students, and I feel that it brings pride to our school to have representation at a national level,” Barnhart added.
Aubrey Gahagen, a junior nursing student on the Keyser Campus, said she learned about the convention just a few weeks prior to the event and she wanted to take advantage of the exceptional opportunity.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to reignite my passion for nursing, and remind myself of why I want to become a nurse,” Gahagen said. “While we were in Salt Lake City, I not only was able to reignite my passion for nursing, but was also able to hear from many outstanding leaders in the nursing profession, as well as build lifelong bonds with fellow nursing students.”
She said she felt honored to represent the WVU School of Nursing, alongside her peers and faculty members, during this memorable experience.
“One of my biggest takeaways from the convention is that it's important for us, as nursing students, to find our voice in leadership, because we truly are the future of nursing,” she added.
Jenna Wermers, Student Nurses Association (SNA) president, said she learned about the NSNA convention through the SNA her freshman year and it was one of the reasons she decided to join.
In collaboration with students from California Student Nurses Association and San Diego University, Wermers participated in researching and writing a resolution to be presented to the NSNA House of Delegates, which is comprised of nursing students from across the country.
“After many sources and hours of research, the resolution was asking the NSNA to support and advertise the implementation of nurse residency programs, which has been proven to retain new graduate nurses by making them more comfortable in the hospital and in their role as a nurse,” Wermers said. “As all healthcare professionals and especially nurses know, it is a hard transition from academia to the ‘real world’ that sometimes pushes new grads over the edge and causes them to quit.”
She continued, “2020 was known as the year of the nurse with the beginning and worsening of the pandemic, and yet in 2022 we are still in a shortage of nurses for a myriad of reasons. Nurse residency programs usually last a year and provide the new graduate with the support system that they need to succeed the first time.”
The resolution passed unanimously, which was a moment of relief and pride for Wermers. Barnhart said as a mentor, it was an amazing experience to attend the resolution presentation and watch it pass the House of Delegates unanimously.
“I was relieved and excited that myself and my fellow authors were able to make a difference,” Wermers said. “Hopefully, people who weren’t able to attend the conference will be made aware of opportunities like nurse residency programs through the NSNA and hospitals will hopefully see the change that new grads are asking for and provide opportunities like this to everyone.”
Additionally, Wermers said she was able to network with employers across the U.S. She plans to share these opportunities with fellow students seeking opportunities outside of the Morgantown and Pittsburgh area. Wermers also attended educational sessions during the convention — she especially enjoyed a session during which attendees watched 5B, a documentary about the nurses and doctors who were on the front lines of the AIDs crisis.
“My biggest takeaway from the convention is that there is so much more to nursing and your professional identity than strict academia lets you know about and going to events like this will let young nurses know their potential and provide them with the contacts to reach every goal that they set their minds to.”
The WVU School of Nursing extends thanks to Sigma Theta Tau and the Bush family for supporting our students to attend this conference.
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CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu