Tuesday August 11
Student Luncheon Speakers Encourage Involvement of “Profession’s Future”
A capacity crowd attended the AANA Student Luncheon on Monday.
The oft-repeated phrase that students are “10 percent of AANA membership, but 100 percent of nurse anesthesia’s future” rang true at the Student Luncheon on Monday. With more than 1,100 students attending the 76th Annual Meeting in San Diego, the Marriott Hall was filled to capacity with the profession’s future.
AANA President Jackie Rowles, CRNA, MBA, MA, FAAPM, challenged the students to become active in “your association,” to seek out the staff and Board of Directors for information and resources, and offered to help in any way she could.
Outgoing Student Representative to the Education Committee, Emily Funk, RN, BSN, CCRN, impressed many as she presided over the luncheon, explaining the duties of the student representative – attending 3 meetings (Joint Committee Conference in September, Assembly of School Faculty in the Spring, and the Annual Meeting in August), writing a monthly Student News column in the AANA NewsBulletin, providing student perspective input and making recommendations to the Education Committee.
AANA President Jackie Rowles, CRNA, MBA, MA, FAAPM, and President-elect James Walker, CRNA, PhD, look on as Emily Funk, RN, BSN, CCRN, outgoing student representative to the Education Committee, receives a standing ovation for her year’s work and dedication.
“We are nurses first, our patients’ advocates,” Funk told the enthusiastic student gathering. She called nurse anesthesia “the best career in healthcare today. We are an outstanding group of people, and leaders in nursing and healthcare.”
AANA Foundation Board of Trustee Nancy Gondringer, CRNA, MA, challenged students to continue to support the AANA Foundation as they furthered their careers. “This year we have raised $425,000 for scholarships and research. We have funded 66 scholarships, four Program Director Outstanding Student Research Awards, grants, awards, posters and more.” She challenged everyone to contribute $25 to the AANA Foundation in this stressful economic time, to enable more students and CRNAs to continue their education and research. She credited individual contributions for making up the majority of donations.
AANA Past President Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, presented the Student Writing Contest award, which encourages student nurse anesthetists to write for a professional publication. The award competition drew 13 manuscripts, judged by the AANA Journal Editorial Committee, who “had a difficult decision to make,” in conferring a winner, Wilson said. The winning manuscript was called “Inhalation Anesthesia for Organ Procurement,” by Laurie J. Elkins, RN, Charleston Area Medical Center School of Nurse Anesthesia, Charleston, W.Va. Elkins’ program director is Nancy Tierney, CRNA, DMP.
Student representatives Emily Funk, RN, BSN, and Chris Ledger, RN, BSN, CCRN.
AANA Senior Director of Education and Professional Development, John Preston, CRNA, DNSc, awarded the Student Excellence in Education award to Jessica Rush, RN, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College Nurse Anesthesia Program, St. Louis, Mo. Rush’s program director is Bernadette Henrichs, CRNA, PhD, CCRN.
Student Representative Emily Funk then announced the newly elected Student Representative to the Education Committee, Chris Ledger, RN, BSN, CCRN, from the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Program. His program director is Stephen Yermal, CRNA, PhD. Ledger said in his candidate position statement that he would act as a liaison between the students and AANA to uphold the objectives and philosophies of the profession. In his acceptance speech, he said he looked forward to representing the students who elected him to serve.