IMPORTANT DATES INDEX. Page 1 Spotlight

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Spotlight

University of Tampa

reakthrough to Nursing…what exactly does

this mean? For the Student Nurses Association at Uni-versity of Tampa, it means much more than recruiting future nursing students. “BTN” at UT gives us the opportunity to use our skills and knowledge of nursing in areas other than classes and clinical to connect our nursing program with Tampa Bay.

On UT’s campus we have tutored pre-nursing stu-dents struggling with Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, and other prerequisites for the program. We have also, promoted health and wellness on campus by providing free blood pressure readings at our Human Recourses department.

We enjoyed serving in other regions of Tampa. A favorite service opportunity was

providing blood pressure screenings to the ladies at Shapes Total Fitness. It was a very comfortable environ-ment for both the ladies of the gym and for our nursing students. The gym members felt comfortable asking us medical questions that many had been afraid to ask for years. We taught the ladies about hypertension, healthy eating habits, breast self-examinations, and so much more.

Continued on next page Some nursing students “walked” for many causes. To promote health and wellness some ran in the Spartan 5K, others participated in a walk to fight

B

INDEX

Page 1 – Spotlight

Page 2 – Letters from the Board

Page 6 – A Note from FNA

Would you want to see your school in the spotlight?

Submit your article to your Re-gional Director before February

25 for consideration.

Denise Knapp

Corresponding Secretary/Editor

IMPORTANT DATES

Executive Board Meeting – Feb. 26, 2011 Student Nurses’ Week – Feb. 20-26, 2011 Lobby Days – March 15-16, 2011

NSNA National Convention – April 6-10, 2011

Registration Deadline for NSNA National Convention – March 21, 2011

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Diabetes, and many also walked to raise awareness and promote a cure for Psoriasis. Our SNA also en-couraged involvement of the entire nursing depart-ment by collecting canned goods and toys during the holiday season for the homeless population in Tampa.

Perhaps the most re-warding volunteer event was, serving at Moffitt Cancer Center’s Hope Lodge. Hope Lodge provides a free housing center for cancer patients and caregivers during their treat-ment. By providing a simple meal of spaghetti and salad, we lessened the burden slight-ly for all of these peoples. They were so grateful, and it was a blessing to serve them.

This coming semester we are still “walk-ing”… this time in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and tutoring incoming nursing stu-dents. We look forward to new opportunities as well. To combat the nursing shortage dilemma, we

are encouraging younger generations to consider nursing as a career. We are hosting a day for local girl scouts to come to our campus and learn about nursing as well as partnering with a local middle school’s science department and educating the

stu-dents about nursing.

Breakthrough to Nurs-ing at UT has expanded the vi-sion of our Student Nurses As-sociation, given us opportuni-ties to serve in new areas of Tampa, and enlightened us in our career choices as future nurses. So, from all of us stu-dent nurses at University of Tampa…let’s go out and get involved!

Marris Smith University of Tampa

SNA Secretary and

Chairperson of Breakthrough to Nursing

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Shelby Jones/President

Hello FNSA Members!

The next few months are filled with opportunities to get involved; we have Student Nurses’ Week Feb-ruary 20-26, Lobby Days in Tallahassee March 15-16, and NSNA National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah April 6-10. Start fundraising now, so that you can attend each one of these events; don’t let these opportunities pass you by. Get together to make this year’s Student Nurses’ Week something unforgettable; we work hard and this is our week to shine. Plan a breakfast or lunch for your fellow stu-dents before a big test, give out “Future R.N.” gifts; do donation drives so students can wear jeans to class one day of the week; get creative! If you’re planning on attending Lobby Days make sure you contact Willa Fuller at [email protected]. If a trip to Salt Lake City is in your near future, go ahead and make your hotel reservations: there is a link on nsna.org that has hotel and budgeting infor-mation.

The Executive Board’s next meeting is February 26, 2011 at FNA Headquarters at 11:00. Everyone is invited! We cur-rently have an interim corresponding secretary, Denise Knapp, and I would like to thank her for stepping in during our time of need. If you are in-terested in this position, send me an email letting me know and make sure you are in attendance at our next meeting. At our last meeting we also ap-pointed a new consultant to one of the two vacant positions; we’d like to welcome Dr. Jill Winland-Brown to our organization. If you know any con-sultants that may be interested in the last vacant po-sition have them send me a letter of interest and at-tend our next meeting.

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1st

Vice President

Dudley Deshommes Greetings fellow members!

This is just a friendly reminder of important points that you want to keep in mind as we prepare for Na-tional and State Convention:

Membership Applications for NSNA are due by February 9, 2011. You need at least 10 people for your school. This is especially important for new chapters to be recognized during the credentialing process.

Once memberships are in order, have your Official Application for Constituency Status for 2011 filled out and bring it to the Annual National Convention in Salt Lake City, UT site during the delegates cre-dentialing process for the House of Delegates. If you are unable to attend the Annual Convention, your application must be faxed or mailed to NSNA and postmarked no later than ten (10) working days after the close of the House of Delegates meeting, April 9, 2011. You have until April 22, 2011.

A school with written authorization to the Executive Board request that they appoint a member of the Executive Board to act as a state appointed delegate for their school chapter. The school must have a se-lected or ese-lected delegate credentialed at the NSNA Convention in order to have a state appointed dele-gate. A letter needs to be written on school letter head for this to be done. Email me for a copy of the sample letter. This process allows Florida to have as many delegates as possible. Make sure your school approves having an appointed delegate. The Execu-tive Board shall verify that the appointed delegate is in good standing

Alt

hough state convention is not until April, it does not hurt to start planning now. As you may already know, there has been one change to the bylaws. Please make sure that your bylaws have the new change to Article V: DUES, Section 5. Please re-view the updated bylaws on the FNSA website. I will be sending out letters discussing the new change as well.

Once you have made these changes please send me an electronic copy of your 2011 bylaws to

[email protected] or mail a hard copy to Dudley L. Deshommes, 7925 Merrill RD 1012, Jacksonville, FL 32277.

New chapters must submit both a constituency form for FNSA (see website) and Bylaws. I can send you a template upon request.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via e-mail or phone (904) 535-4325

National Convention is right around the

corner!

Mariana Ortigosa - Treasurer

I encourage Florida nursing students to attend, let’s have a presence at nationals! I attended State Conven-tion in Daytona, Florida for the first time last year and it was a great experience. I was able to meet nursing students from across the state and I learned valuable information from nursing professors from various universities. I cannot wait to experience this on a larg-er scale at National Convention. Encourage your chapter to fundraise so you can experience national convention. Let’s represent Florida nursing students well and show our presence. I hope to see all of you in Salt Lake City this April! The online registration deadline is March 21, 2011 so start fundraising and fill up your piggy bank.

“Success is not final, failure

is not fatal: it is the courage

to continue that counts.”

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YOU ARE PART OF SOMETHING BIG!!

Tami Williams – Region 1/Membership Chair To celebrate all that nursing students do, we will be celebrating Student Nurses’ Week, February 20-26. Please take this time to honor your decision to become part of a respected and admirable career! Take time for yourself, throw a party, or go out to lunch with your classmates, but please don’t forget to thank all your professors, friends and families for supporting you in your decision to become a nurse! The state of Florida currently has over 4,100 members of the Nursing Student Association!! All of our students make us one of the most represented states, currently behind Texas and California, in the nation. This being said, we want to see if we can surpass their numbers before National convention in April. This cannot be done without your help! So if you know any of your peers who are not mem-bers, or who have let their renewal go by, please encourage them to take advantage of all the benefits FNSA has to offer. By all participating, we become a part of something bigger than just ourselves or our school; we become part of a national voice to influ-ence the change we want to see.

Get Involved With Region 6

Limor Wienberg – Region 6/Legislative Chair Spring is an exciting time for nursing students and Region 6 is kicking off the semester with Student Nurses’ Week Feb 20th-26th, followed by Lobby Days in Tallahassee on March 15th-16th. Student Nurses’ Week is always a great way to really kick off the season and get excited for National Conven-tion. "Bright Minds Fueling a Bright Future" the theme chosen for Student Nurses’ Week. This acknowledges the dedication and enthusiasm of Florida Nursing Students and really inspires all of us to get involved in school activities, as well as community service. Contact me to find out how you can get involved in your region! Check out the website http://groupspaces.com/FNSARegion6/ to find out about upcoming events in your region, state and nationally!

Break-Through to Nursing

Nicole Couzzo - Region 3 Director/ BTN Hello FNSA Members,

Already have a BTN Committee?

Be sure to incorporate BTN in your plans for this semester. Choose several different events your chapter is interested in, and begin the planning on those soon.

Want to create a BTN Committee?

It’s Easy! Visit the NSNA website and choose the tab for Breakthrough to Nursing. Under the heading “BTN Institute” you’ll find a link for “Guidelines for Planning” with step-by-step instructions on how to start up a committee.

Want to win an Award?

The deadline for project submission for the April NSNA convention is coming up on March 11, so please be sure you get them in on time.

If you need help getting started with ideas for your BTN events this semester or if you have any ques-tions about project submission or even what quali-fies as a BTN project, please don’t hesitate to con-tact me by phone or email! Good luck this semester and I hope to hear from you soon!

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Community Health Important Deadlines

And Information

Lisa Fussell – Region 4/Community Health Important Deadline March 11th - NSNA Commu-nity Health Award application. Please visit NSNA Guidelines and Planning for guidance on planning your projects and download 2011 NSNA Awards & Honors Booklet for application and further infor-mation.

• For more information on national community

health program activities and resources availa-ble, like HALT and the Healthy People 2020 Objectives, please visit the NSNA Program Ac-tivities site.

• ANA has introduced the immunization pledge.

Take the pledge today, and invite friends to take it as well!

• Disaster Preparedness - become NIMS

certi-fied! Recommended NIMS certification courses

– IS-22, IS-100. HC, IS-200. B (new updated

course From 200 and 200.A), IS-700. a,and

IS-230. a. These courses help prepare you for various emergency situations in your home, in school, in hospitals, and in your community, and they look great on your resume. Earning com-pletion certificates in three or more of these five NIMS courses will qualify you to proudly wear a NIMS Certified ribbon on your name badge at the 2011 NSNA Convention. Also, submit cop-ies of these certifications from your chapter and receive extra credit for the Disaster Prepared-ness award.

A Message for Region 4

Region 4 Group Spaces Account is now operational. Please take a moment to visit

www.groupspaces.com/fnsaregion4 to see what’s going on in your region. Community health events are published as provided, so please encourage your schools to submit their events to me for publication to our Group Spaces Account. Together we can in-crease inter-chapter participation.

Be a National Officer

Jenny-Lyn Buster - Region 5/NEC Chair Spring is just around the corner, and the new sea-son is bringing some wonderful upcoming events! This April 2011 the NSNA National Convention will take place in Salt Lake City, UT. Looking for a great way to connect and network with fellow stu-dents and nurses throughout the nation, while hold-ing a leadership position? Run for a national NSNA office! Although the deadline to pre-slate has passed NSNA members can be nominated from the floor during a House of Delegates meeting at the National Convention. For more information please refer to NSNA.org and view the items under the Elected Officials tab.

Upcoming Events in Region 5 • Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Saturday, January 29, 2011

West Palm Beach, FL

Gather your fellow nursing students, family, and friends to walk or run in support of finding a cure

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Nurses Retreat, Enriching the Mind ~ Nourishing the Soul

Leah Nash – FNA

For those of you who are graduating in December, register now for a Nurses Retreat held at Crystal River on February 18 -‐ 20! Topics will include is-‐ sues relevant to new grads such as mentoring, con-‐ flict resolution, and portfolio development. While you're there, plan on swimming with one of Flori-‐ da's most precious creatures -‐ the manatee! Be sure to tell friends who have recently graduated about this retreat!

If you are interested in a new grad scholarship for this retreat, email [email protected] as soon as possible for an application. Scholarship applications are due February 13!!!

New Grads: Don’t forget to take advantage of your FREE FNA

membership (1st_{year is free if}

you were an FNSA member) and get the special member pricing for this event! More info coming soon!

Scholarships Available – Need $$$?

The Florida Nurses Foundation scholarship cycle is now open!!! Visit floridanurse.org/grantupload for the application process. The application deadline is June 1, 2011 and recipients will be notified of awards in September 2011. Scholarships range from $500 -‐ $750. Email founda-‐

[email protected] for more information.

FNA Call for Leaders: New Grad Special Interest Group

Worried about finding a job or advancing your edu-‐ cation?

Looking for a mentor?

Want to develop your resume and portfolio?

Have you just entered the work force?

Are you dealing with the stress of being a new nurse?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, please know that you are not alone. As a new grad, or someone who is about to become a new grad, there is a lot to worry about as you navigate through the world of nursing.

FNA would like to provide resources for you to cope with these difficult issues and start sailing smoothly through these rough waters. But we need your help… we need to know what YOU would like as resources. The possibilities are end-‐

less… face-‐to-‐face events, webinars, online forums, etc. FNA wants to be the one place that you can turn to for comfort and support through your first few years of nursing.

If you are a new grad, about to be-‐ come a new grad or have been working for less than five years and would like to be leaders in a brand new FNA New Grad Special Interest Group, please contact [email protected] right away. A meeting will be scheduled very soon!

FNA Updates

Want to know what else FNA is up to? Here are some easy ways to keep track of FNA initiatives:

• Like FNA on Facebook at face-‐

book.com/floridanursesassociation

• Follow FNA on Twitter at twitter.com

@FLNurses

• Become a friend on FNA on MySpace at