My passion for my profession has once again been validated. I was invited to attend the National Student Nursing Association Convention, April 3-7, in Charlotte, NC. I must admit, I had never heard of the organization, yet, this was their 61st Annual Convention. A little background about the organization: they have more than 60,000 members; on Tuesday the registration count "as of press time" was 2,615; as of press time on Wednesday the count was 2,837; yes, press time, they publish a daily newsletter at the convention. They hold their National convention in the spring and a meeting called The Mid-Year Career Planning Meeting in the fall. The fall meeting is on a smaller scale where they have representatives from nursing specialties talk about the specialty field they work in. I was thrilled to accept and attend their Opening Ceremonies; during the ceremonies, representatives from the nursing specialties in attendance were recognized. The Keynote Speaker, Dr. Courtney Lyder, Dean of Nursing at University of California Los Angeles, and other speakers during the opening ceremonies-Dr. Marla Weston, CEO of the American Nursing Association; Dr. Marsha Howell Adams, President-Elect of the National League of Nursing; Dr. Keith Dion, President, Foundation of the National Student Nursing Association Convention-provided the overall theme: be engaged in your profession and have a passion for what you do [horizontal ellipsis] music to my ears!
I had the opportunity to network with student nurses from across the country; talking with the students about my love for plastic surgery nursing, explaining how one can get involved with our specialty, and offering to return for their Mid-Year Career Planning Meeting to perhaps speak on a panel with nurses from other specialties to explain to a larger audience the opportunities that are available after graduation.
It was exciting to see and feel the energy, the commitment, the passion that these young men and women have for their dream: the dream to become a nurse, to make a difference in the lives of others. I was impressed with the students who hold leadership positions in their organization; they were quick to introduce themselves and engage in conversation and were excited to learn about a specialty that they knew nothing about. During my short time there, I was approached numerous times to explain over and over again to friends of friends about the field of plastic surgery nursing. I was reminded of that excitement, that dream, that passion for nursing. I know that I piqued the interest of many; if only one or two eventually become involved in plastic surgery nursing, I consider my trip a successful one.
Nursing students are our future! What better way to introduce them to our profession and incite excitement about our specialty than to go out and meet them. Our Membership Committee will focus on campaigning to nursing schools/students to encourage student nurses to consider a career in plastic surgery nursing. I challenge all of you who live in a community or city that has a school(s) of nursing to pay a visit or call and offer to give a talk about the opportunities in our specialty. They are eager for the information, share your dream, and it is energizing!