National Student Nurses Assoc. Annual Convention

The UMass Amherst Student Nurses Association (SNA) is a is a student-led organization that provides student nurses with the opportunity for professional development, a network of support from other students and faculty, the opportunity to explore and contribute to our community within the College of Nursing as well as our local community, and a chance to participate in leadership roles. The goal of our association is to strengthen the overall experience for student nurses by supplementing our academic and clinical workload with applicable information on how to effectively make use of your time as a student nurse, as well as information on the plethora of options we have as student nurses and as professional nurses.

We are also considered to be a chapter of the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). For the past few years, we have been honored to send a group of our most dedicated and invested members to the NSNA Annual Convention to represent our chapter. This convention is a series of lectures, networking events, professional development trainings, and expositions designed to optimally prepare eager student nurses for their upcoming roles as leaders in the field of nursing. It is one of the only networking and professional development opportunities that is offered to nursing students. This year, it is in Dallas, TX, from April 5-9th.

The NSNA Annual Convention is an exceptionally valuable experience for our members, since it provides us with the opportunity to hear about cutting edge advancements in clinical practice, meet the top practitioners in the field, network with competitive hospitals and advanced degree programs, attend presentations about how to strengthen our own chapters, receive professional development training, and obtain the best study tips for our licensure exam. Not only is it immensely beneficial for the students who attend, but we also bring back the knowledge and resources obtained at the convention to share with our entire student body.

At the beginning of the academic year, UMass received substantial budget cuts that are subsequently affecting every program within the university. The College of Nursing is no exception, and while we are working our hardest to stretch our resources to provide our students with a plethora of opportunities for personal and professional growth, some critical experiences may need to be cut. Because of this, our representation at the NSNA Annual Convention is in jeopardy.

Therefore, we are reaching out to our community to help ensure that our students still have the opportunity to receive this precious experience. By investing in your student nurses, you are investing in the future of the nursing practice as a whole. We hope that you will consider donating to our organization so we can continue to grow together as future nurses, and further the success of our Student Nurses Association for years to come.