NSNA Conventions/Conferences

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I know the NSNA 2008 Convention is going on currently. I'm a NSNA member but I have never attended any. I would like to attend the conference this fall in Reno, NV, therefore I would like to start saving up now. :p

How informational and important are these conferences and conventions, or what have been your experiences (positive or negative) for those who may have attended? Thanks!

gillytook

207 Posts

I do not know about the national convention. I did go to the state convention. It was a fantastic experience. I sat in on to Hurst Review lectures, one for Fluid Balance and one for Electrolytes. I learned about some areas of nursing that I had never considered before. I also made some connections for career opportunities. It was definitely worth the money and the time missed from class.

Daytonite, BSN, RN

1 Article; 14,603 Posts

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

when i was in nursing school back in the 70s i attended both a state workshop and the national convention because it was close to where i lived. there were a number of national nursing leaders at each meeting. i actually got to see the people that wrote some of these articles and textbooks you hear about. the director of our state board of nursing was at our state workshop and talked about the hot licensing issues of the day--that was very interesting. there were smaller sessions (the day was broken up into 1 hour sessions) on things like state board test taking tips (we didn't have nclex in those days), the future of advanced practice (was just getting into its own then), the future of nurses in healthcare delivery, and new healthcare laws of interest to nurses in our state. the national convention is similar. you can usually see a list of the proposed sessions on their website. i am sure they will have national nursing leaders there and you will most like lunch with at least one or more of them and have an opportunity to go up and shake hands with them if you want. can you image meeting a nursing theorist?

i came away from both experiences very energized and realizing that there was a bigger world of nursing out there. the people who write the textbooks and theories while they may sound stiff on paper are really quite human when you meet them. i also developed the strangest need to want to go on for a higher degree. after all, at these things, most of the speakers are msns and phds and i kind of felt like i wanted to be part of the group too.

since, i have attended national meetings of various nursing organizations. they are always invigorating and educational. it's good to get out of your home town and see what is going on in other parts of the world. helps stimulate new ideas.

Reno1978, BSN, RN

1,133 Posts

Specializes in SRNA.

I went last year to the one in Anaheim and I liked it. The seminars were informative.

But if you're interested in relocating someday, it's amazing the number of hospitals that show up that want to recruit YOU. Also, many schools show up to cheerlead their graduate programs for nursing. I had an excellent time, but we also had Disneyland nearby to keep us busy at night. If you have the opportunity to go, I say you should do it!

I attended the NSNA conference this year and it was an amazing opportunity. It was a great way to learn the process of the House of Delegates and how they vote on resolutions. It was incredibly inspirational to realize that we as nurses can make such a difference. The conference made me realize just how important our voices are, we need to learn to use them. I've already started communicating with the Deans in my school to improve curriculum issues that I did not realize were a problem until I went to the convention. I'm from Oregon and the Oregon Nursing Association meets this week, they also have a house of delegates. So this aspect of the NSNA convention is a great opportunity to learn how the forum works once we're professionals. Unfortunately at the mid-year conference the house of delegates does not convene. However, it would still be a great opportunity to meet students from other schools and learn about other programs and network. If you're looking to move out of state once you graduate there are a ton of vendors from hospitals all across the country looking to recruit new students. There are also a lot of schools promoting their Graduate programs. The break out sessions are OK, but most of them were nothing special. Hope this helps! Good luck on the fundraising!:nurse:

I know this is a little late, but if you are saving up for the Reno conference I hope I can persuade you to go.

I was a resolution presenter at this last conference in Grapevine and it was a very good experience. Between the house of delegates, resolution presentation, meeting graduate school reps, and attending break out sessions I had a very educational experience.

It is also beneficial to be an active member of NSNA when you are applying to graduate school. I'm going to do an MHA program, but whenever I talk to recruiters about presenting a resolution at a national conference I'm always told that it will score big points. (Our resolution about mandating that HS coaches are CPR/ AED certified passed with 99% approval - Thanks Grapevine delegates).

Summing things up...yes NSNA's national conference is very beneficial. I'm on the state board for our student association here, and as great as the state experience is it doesn't really compare to the experience at that national conference in my opinion.

Hope that was useful. Good luck.

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