SNA Travels to Utah and Hosts Jingle & Mingle Event
NSNA Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah
On April 2, 2019, seven UH Manoa Nursing students travelled to Salt Lake City, Utah for the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) 67th Annual Convention. It was truly a memorable journey for all of the student participants. Nursing students, faculty and nurse leaders from all over the country came together to attend the five-day conference.
Each day was filled with opportunities to mingle, learn and have fun. Mornings began with two hours of N-CLEX review that was powered by Lippincott PassPoint and sponsored by Wolters Kluwer. We were given a booklet of information that explained the detailed test plan and procedures of the N-CLEX, which was followed by content review and N-CLEX style questions. The N-CLEX speaker Dr. Desiree Hensel shared valuable tips about answering N-CLEX style questions.
Throughout the rest of the day, there were focus sessions, plenary sessions, trainings and student activities available. Each student participant was able to select and attend the sessions that were most important and interesting to them. A few participants received certification for Naloxone Training and American Red Cross Disaster Training.
A highlight of the conference was that Kiki Thurston, the UH Manoa Nursing Student Nurses’ Association president received the NSNA Ambassador Award. This award is presented to a member who is a school or state chapter leader, who represents and inspires others, and who embodies the NSNA spirit. Judging criteria is based on leadership, impact, involvement, spirit, and core values.
SNA Students Jingle & Mingle
To bring fun and joy to the holiday season before finals, the Student Nurses’ Association at UH Manoa hosted the Jingle and Mingle social. The main goal of the event was to bring UHM Nursing students together from all different cohorts (DEN, 1st, 3rd, and 5th semesters) to mingle with one another and to encourage bonding and sharing of experiences. About 40 students from all cohorts attended and participated in fun group activities such as a gingerbread decorating contest, a PPE-themed relay race and a nursing student “Gimme-Gimme” game. The “Gimme-Gimme” game entailed students introducing themselves and sharing interests and skills they have picked up while in nursing school.
It was a great way for students to get to know a little more about each other. Students were also able to use their communication and teamwork skills during the gingerbread house contest. All of the groups were very creative! One student noted, “the mixed group games really helped to integrate the cohorts.” The event was a great success. Students created new friendships outside of their own cohort and had a great time at the end of the semester.
The NSNA conference is an annual event that nursing students attend. For questions about the NSNA conference, contact SNA faculty advisor Gary Glauberman or for questions about SNA, contact snamanoa@hawaii.edu.