By Lynn Smolarkiewicz
Members of the Kellogg Community College Student Nurse Association (SNA) leadership team including Crystal Stout, Stormie Munoz, Telesia Hatcher and William (Nick) Cooper III along with faculty advisors Georgina Thomas and Lynn Smolarkiewicz attended the Michigan Nursing Students Association’s (MNSA) annual conference in Novi Jan. 25 and 26.
What made this a very special conference for us all was that elections were being held for seats on the MNSA board and two of our own nursing students were in the running! The conference offered a variety of topics of interest to nursing students. For example, sessions on pain management, shock and even a timely presentation on the pharmacology and regulatory info relating to medical marijuana in our state were among the offerings. There were many sessions to choose from, including a panel of nurses who shared their experiences and answered questions posed from the audience on a variety of topics such as NCLEX prep, applying for a first nursing job, challenges of night shift and thriving in the workplace.
One of the most anticipated highlights of the conference was a presentation by Nurse Blake, who has quite an online following and who has posted several satirical videos about the trials and tribulations of nursing school. His popularity was evident among the nursing students who can surely relate! We were all inspired by his story of how he uses his passion and professional role as a registered nurse to influence positive change in health care and in providing support for nurses.
As advisors we found it uplifting to be around so many motivated and driven nursing students and nurses learning and laughing together. Nurse Blake was the perfect representative of MNSA’s mission, which advocates for, unites and empowers nursing students in Michigan by providing information, resources and opportunities that promote growth as future registered nurses.
As the conference wrapped up on Saturday, the last order of business was the MNSA election of nursing student representatives for the board seats which were being vacated. It is with great pride that your KCC faculty advisors announce that the results are in! We now have two MNSA board members from KCC SNA representing nursing students in the state of Michigan:
- Stormie Munoz (class of 2019)
Communications and Newsletter Director
Responsible for setting up and maintaining a website that should be updated monthly, using information from each board member. Maintains the MNSA Facebook page and other social media sites. Designs and publishes the MNSA newsletter Nurse+Talk and uploads to the website. - William (Nick) Cooper III (class of 2020)
Membership and Nominations and Elections Director
Responsible for maintaining school SNA contacts and assisting new schools to start a chapter and to obtain constituency. Visits local SNA meetings to promote leadership and involvement within MNSA. Recruits MNSA members to run for state and national office and leads elections at State Convention.
Lynn Smolarkiewicz is a KCC Nursing professor and faculty advisor to KCC’s Student Nursing Association. She can be reached at smolarkiewiczl@kellogg.edu.
