SNA “Excellence in Critical Care Nursing” Educational Event
The Student Nurses Association at UHM hosted an educational event titled “Excellence in Critical Care Nursing” with our guest speaker, Zion Sanchez RN, BSN, CCRN, a cardiac ICU nurse at The Queen’s Medical Center on October 22, 2018. The event was well attended with 76 students from nursing and other majors in attendance. The Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society Gamma Psi Chapter at UHM co-sponsored the event with SNA. Prior to the main presentation, representatives from the U.S. Army Medical Corps addressed students and provided them with information about Army Nurse Core care career opportunities.
The guest speaker informed attendees on the various career opportunities that are available in this field and discussion focused on the challenges in critical care nursing and the benefits of working in this nursing specialty. Topics included insights into what it is like to work in the intensive care unit and tips on landing a job after graduation. Sanchez made the event interactive and interesting by providing stories from his own nursing experiences and challenged attendees to answer questions he posed. As a UHM Nursing alumni, Sanchez said that “it felt good to give back to the school.”
Overall, it was really great to have students of different healthcare backgrounds attend this event because it motivated and inspired students to consider working in a critical care field. Second year nursing student, Myra Clarissa Pascual said “It was a very interesting talk. It was helpful because I want to be a trauma or ICU nurse, and the speaker gave a lot of information about his own experiences.” Third year nursing student Andy Liu said “I really enjoyed coming to this event! It was great to see so many like-minded people joining and listening to what the speaker had to share regarding critical care and his personal tips and experiences on landing a nursing job.”
Offering events like these allow SNA leaders opportunities to learn how to coordinate events and work with professionals in the community. This was the first event that SNA co-membership director Miki Matsuoka planned. She learned that to be successful, it is important to start the planning process early, communicate clearly with guest speakers, and lean on support systems like SNA members, faculty, and friends. SNA would like to thank Zion Sanchez for spending time with them and sharing his experiences and expertise.
For more information about SNA, contact faculty advisor Gary Glauberman, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, NHDP-BC at glauberm@hawaii.edu.