Be a Voice of Advocacy & Leadership
at NSNA
By Sarah Zhou
As a nursing student, nursing school might be the first step into the profession— but this does not mean you do not have an impact on nursing until you become a registered nurse. As a member of the National Student Nurses’ Association( NSNA), you already made the first step to becoming a leader in nursing. NSNA provides many opportunities you can take advantage of to advocate for patients and the profession before you become a nurse. You’ re not just a nursing student or an NSNA member— be a voice of advocacy and leadership at NSNA.
NSNA Leadership
NSNA’ s mission is to develop future leaders out of nursing students who will influence the nursing profession. Leadership starts small and local— stay active on your local and state levels. Participate in your local school chapter or state association. You can run for a position in your local or state association. Then, you can run for national office at the NSNA Annual Convention each spring. There are many benefits to running for an official NSNA elected position; it is an incredible opportunity to
26 NSNA Imprint shape your future in nursing, both as a student and as a future registered nurse. The experience will expose you to diverse perspectives and leadership styles, and shared governance while building meaningful connections with peers and leaders in the profession.
NSNA elected positions include: President, Vice President, Secretary / Treasurer, Imprint Editor, Breakthrough to Nursing Director, Directors( North, South, East, and West), Nominating and Elections Committee( North, South, East, and West representatives). The House of Delegates vote and elect candidates for each position at the Annual Convention. The Council of State Presidents also elect a chair to represent them on the NSNA Board of Directors. Other appointed positions include the Resolutions Committee and Imprint Reporters. If you’ re interested in running for an NSNA leadership positions, learn more here: www. nsna. org / how-to-runfor-national-office.
If you’ re passionate about a specific topic, learn more about the work of specific Board committees. NSNA board committee work includes: Finance, Membership, Breakthrough to Nursing, Image of Nursing, Health Policy and Advocacy, Population and Global Health, Convention Planning, and Ethics and Governance. To learn more about each committee, visit their page: www. nsna. org / committees.
Active participation and being a part of a leadership role earns you recognition. The NSNA Leadership U Honor Society recognizes members who participate in NSNA leadership activities. The Honor Society highlights active members of a school, state, and / or national: Board of Directors; chair or member of a committee / team; Student Nurses’ Association( SNA) project / activity involvement; Project InTouch Recruiter; state or national delegate or annual meeting representative; resolution author; candidate for office; or other leadership involvement. Learn more and apply here: www. nsnaleadershipu. org.
Network
To be a leader, networking is essential— you never know where you’ ll meet your future employer,