Four UMSON students attended the 2022 American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) Student Policy Summit.
AACN hosted its 2022 Student Policy Summit, March 27 - 28 in Washington, D.C. The two-day conference was open to baccalaureate and graduate nursing students enrolled at an AACN member institution.
Students who attend the Summit were immersed in didactic program sessions focused on the federal policy process and nursing’s role in professional advocacy. Presentations included the keynote address "Leading the Way: How Nurses Impact Public Health," from Rear Adm. Susan Orsega, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, senior advisor to the assistant secretary for health and the U.S. surgeon general, and commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The four UMSON students selected to attend this year’s summit are:
- Chelsea Diggs, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist student
- Keandra Forte, DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner student
- Layne Price, DNP Family Nurse Practitioner student
- Tashima Ricks, DNP Post-Master’s student
"Engaging in political advocacy is vital to the future of nursing. I think this is another lesson learned from COVID-19: We cannot expect anyone else to advocate for us, and we must be willing to assert the power we have as nurses to advocate for ourselves, rather than just patients. That burnout and trauma from the pandemic has left many nurses feeling powerless. We must recognize that we do have the power to influence our environment and health disparities, but we must engage in political advocacy to get there," Diggs wrote in her application essay.
pictured, bottom l. to r.: Forte; Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean; and Ricks. top, l. to r.: Price and Diggs