Eleven Penn School of Nursing students attended the National Student Nurses' Association's annual convention in Nashville, Tenn., last week to learn more about the field they are entering.
The weeklong convention, titled "We Make the Path by Walking It," is held by the NSNA, which considers itself to be a mentoring association for nursing students preparing to become registered nurses.
Current issues facing the nursing world were explored at the conference in the various hearings, focus groups and plenary sessions that took place over the duration of the conference.
President of the Student Nurses' Association of Pennsylvania, Student Nurses at Penn member and Nursing senior Laura Breyfogle said she was happy with the exposure that Penn students involved in the conference gained, as they learned things that could not be taught in a classroom setting.
"Penn Nursing is obviously a leader in student nursing. ... They kind of encourage leadership here," Breyfogle said, adding that the conference encourages Nursing students to "be involved in decisions that student nurses are making as a whole and [to support] our fellow student nurses, because it is a luxury for us to be here."
The Penn students who attended were actively involved in different aspects of the convention. Nursing junior and Vice President of Student Nurses at Penn Jill Siegrist won $2,500 from the Campaign for Nursing's Future Scholarship.
Nursing sophomore Kelley Martin and freshman Katie Hoskins acted as delegates for Student Nurses at Penn. Nursing junior Jennifer Palladino wrote a resolution on the benefits of breast feeding that was subsequently adopted by the NSNA's House of Delegates.
Breyfogle was a speaker in a plenary session and accepted different awards for the Student Nurses' Association of Pennsylvania.
Breyfogle said that the conference is beneficial because it enables Penn students to share their knowledge and interact with nursing students from schools throughout the country.
Nursing junior and President of Student Nurses at Penn Kara Colopinto touted the benefits of attending the conference.
"For me, this was just another good experience. Every time we attend a national conference, the University of Pennsylvania's Nursing students seem to shine."
"Everyone likes to get involved," she said, adding, "It's a great opportunity for all nursing students to attend and help them to develop as professionals in the nursing field and for their career."
Echoing Colopinto's sentiments on the conference, Nursing junior Noele Kasper, who has attended previous conferences, encouraged students to participate.
"It's also a good way to meet nursing students from all over the United States, to talk about your curriculum in comparison to theirs and share experiences," Kasper said.
Colopinto added that these conferences not only unite nursing students from across the nation, but they also give these students the opportunity to see firsthand the types of jobs they can anticipate upon graduation.
"The conference shows you all different aspects of nursing ... not just the things you see every day in clinical," she said. "You get to see what types of jobs are offered -- not just in Pennsylvania, but all over."
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