The next generation of health policy leaders, which included 11 Radford University undergraduate and graduate nursing students, recently gathered at the Nursing Student Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.
The summit was sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Radford students attending included senior Amy Robson of Christiansburg, senior Victoria Triana of Spotsylvania, senior Courtney Smith of Chesapeake, senior Amber Foster of Altavista, senior doctoral student Faye Lyons of Dublin, doctoral student DeEtta Compton of Radford, senior Cecile Dietrich of Christiansburg , doctoral student Marie Applewood of Berryville, doctoral student Amy Halterman Johnson of Huddleston, doctoral student Joni Goldwasser of Roanoke and doctoral student Kim Hall of Radford.
School of Nursing Director and Professor Kim Carter took students to the Capitol to visit legislative offices and meet with staff. Virginia students met with health policy staff from Senator John Warner and Senator Jim Webb’s offices, and staff from Representative Morgan Griffith and Representative Bobby Scott’s offices.
They shared policy messages advocated by AACN, including funding for the National Institute of Nursing Research and Title VIII funding, which is financial support for students.
Sponsored by the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence, the summit featured a variety of presentations by policy experts, interactive discussions with Washington insiders, lobbying visits to members of Congress and strategic networking opportunities. The keynote speaker was Mary Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration. Wakefield discussed nursing’s role in health policy and advocacy.
“We’re enormously pleased to support AACN’s visionary efforts to involve today’s nursing students in complex policy issues,” says Executive Director of the Jonas Center Darlene Curley. “They will soon be central to our evolving healthcare system and with a clear understanding of the connections between policy and practice, they will be able to develop a strong voice for the profession and their patients, a key goal of our work.”
