We must retain our new nurses and find ways to support them , given the immense strains and pressures in nursing that can lead to burnout .
What do you see for the future of PSNA under your presidency ?
As President of PSNA , I will work hard to make sure our members ' voices are heard and will ensure that we give our nurses more opportunities to become more active . Our members need to be informed about the legislative calendar in Harrisburg , and what stage of being passed our bills are in ; if the member is interested , we can alert her / him via text message or phone alert to connect them to their legislator to get our bill passed , especially if it is their legislator holding up the process . We need to get our important nursing bills out of committee , approved , and signed into law !
I will have a few legislative priorities on my agenda as I come into the Presidency . We need to get our Safe Handling bill and antiviolence nursing bills passed so that we can protect our bedside nurses in the workplace . We need to work to push through our Safe Staffing bill , something I advocated hard for on lobby day , including helping to get co-sponsors and leading our Code Blue press conference in the Capitol Rotunda . And I will collaborate with our advanced practice nursing groups so that we can finally make independent advanced practice a reality in Pennsylvania !
We need to grow our membership , reach out to nursing schools to engage nurses , have a stronger outreach to potential members and to nurses whose membership has lapsed . I believe we need to expand our efforts and investment in social media . We should expand outreach to other organizations and other groups to improve health and wellness of PA and to improve the strength of PSNA . Just like our nurses , truck drivers , construction workers , and police and firefighters face higher than average occupational health hazards . By collaborating to help reduce occupational health risks and improve preventative care in these at-risk populations , we can both improve the health and wellness of Pennsylvanians and strengthen PSNA !
How do you plan to support the continued growth of the YNP group ?
The only way to grow our organization in any sustainable manner is to invest in our young nurses . So far , I think our Young Nursing Professional initiative has been one of our best investments to connect with and to engage our young nurses . We must retain our new nurses and find ways to support them , given the immense strains and pressures in nursing that can lead to burnout . I was excited to have been part of the first YNP Philadelphia event in West Philadelphia , and have enjoyed keeping up with all of our newsletters . We need to continue and increase our investment in this YNP initiative . We can not squander the energy and passion of our new nurses , and we need to educate them about how to get involved with our organization , give them opportunities to participate , and teach them how to help with our legislative efforts .
I believe that we also need to establish a Millennial Nurses Advisory Committee of members in their 20s and early 30s to advise the board on issues affecting the nursing profession , including nurse retention , engagement , and educational advancement . We need to hear from our young nurses as they can offer a fresh perspective on chronic systematic problems , and they are often already familiar with the some of the new technological advances influencing and impacting patient care . In the area of technology competence , nursing theorist Dr . Benner would probably agree that our young nurses are the experts !
Tell something you would want people to know about you- for fun !
I was a big movie buff , and I interned and later worked at The Tonight Show in Los Angeles during and after college ! I had a great time and had the opportunity to see and meet a lot of very talented people including Prince , Beyoncé , and Tom Cruise . I even got to perform in a few skits on the show !
A couple other fun facts about me : in high school I was in a Pepsi commercial , and in college I was an extra on 90210 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer . Also , I ’ ve hugged Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama !