The Central Line December The Central Line THE OFFICAL PUBLICATION OF THE TEXAS NURSING STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

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1 The Central Line THE OFFICAL PUBLICATION OF THE TEXAS NURSING STUDENTS ASSOCIATION TNSA s Involvement with TAASA: Stopping Sexual Assault Each year Texas Nursing Students Association chooses to support one worthy cause as a statewide project. This year we have selected the Texas Association against Sexual Assault (TAASA) as the benefitting organization. Recent press has drawn attention to the growing global issues of stalking, rape, and sex trafficking. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 19.3% of American women and 1.7% of American men report being raped annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). In addition, the United States Justice Department revealed a staggering report that more than 200,000 children are involved in the sextrafficking industry (Chappell, 2014). To combat these issues, Bush s National Initiative, Innocence Lost, has led to the FBI s recovery of 3,600 child victims since its inception (Chappell, 2014). As nurses, we are in the prime position to intervene in this national crisis. Through specific education and training, nurses can become the sounding board for victims across Texas. TAASA representatives are prepared to provide us the tools to make a difference and will be lecturing on these topics at the TNSA State Convention held in February. In addition, TNSA is raising funds to aid in victim recovery. We hope that you will have the opportunity to join us at convention. Please consider how your chapter can raise funds to donate to this worthy cause. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 In this issue: TNSA s Involvement with TAASA: Stopping Sexual Assault Lauren Locke Why Texas Nursing Students Association? Briana Durdin Running for Office Carmina Cardona National News: Reflections From NSNA Mid-Year Conference Kathryn Mandez We Know What its Like: Transitioning From Pre-Nursing to Nursing Justine Dockery References: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010) Prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence. National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States, 2011). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from Chappell, B. (2014, June 24). FBI Says It Freed 168 U.S. Children In Sex-Trafficking Raids. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from

2 Why Texas Nursing Students Association? Why Texas Nursing Students Association (TNSA)? When I was asked to write about the importance of being a member of the Texas Nursing Students' Association, about a million thoughts ran through my head. I recently graduated from Covenant School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas where I was the president of my local SNA chapter and am currently in my RN-BSN program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the TNSA President. Having been in my local SNA as well as TNSA from my freshman semester of nursing school to now, TNSA has been a major part of my career as both a student nurse and as a registered nurse. One of the many benefits of being a member of TNSA is the professional development that you receive throughout your membership. TNSA offers several focus sessions at our Council of Schools in October as well as our state convention in February where nursing students from throughout the state learn about various nursing topics from NCLEX prep to the "life of an emergency room nurse." Another benefit is the relationships that nursing students are able to build between peers as well as professionals from organizations such as the Texas Nurses Association (TNA), Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), and many more. These relationships can be very beneficial to a nursing students' professional growth throughout their career. Being a leader is a major part of nursing and with TNSA, there are many opportunities to step up to a leadership role. Every year at the state convention there are elections where nursing students can run for a position on the TNSA board. This is an amazing opportunity to represent nursing students from throughout the state and to make a different in the field of nursing. For me, being on the state board has been an amazing experience and has truly helped me develop myself into a leader in my bedside nursing role. Another opportunity to let your voice be heard in TNSA is through resolutions. At the annual state convention, just like the national convention for NSNA, students are able to write resolutions for issues that they think need to be addressed or changed in nursing. These resolutions are presented to every attending student and faculty member and are voted on by the representing delegates. If the resolution is passed, it is sent to TNA and ANA to voice the students' concerns and to bring the idea to a state and national level. Even though we are nursing students, we still have a voice, and that voice can be loud! TNSA is a great opportunity to help shape nursing students into the professional, leadership role of a nurse. Joining, supporting, and be active in our state organizations is important because we are the current and future nurses of this state and we can make a difference in this field. We are the future of tomorrow. We can and we will make a difference. Briana Durdin TNSA President president@tnsa.org How to Join TNSA and NSNA In order to join TNSA, your school chapter must apply for constituency status through the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). If your school is not an official constituent, contact NSNA for an application. For more information contact NSNA by phone: (718) or TNSA at (866) Visit NSNA at or TNSA at admin@tnsa.org. 2 What are the dues? Membership in NSNA is either a one or two-year membership, beginning the day you become a member. New member: $40.00 Renewal: $45.00 Two-years: $80.00 Become a member today! Sign up at: nsnamembership.org

3 Running for Office Why you should run: In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) created a list of recommendations for The Future of Nursing: Leading Change and Advancing Health Care. In their report, recommendation 7 stood out the most. Recommendation 7: Prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health. Nurses, nursing education programs, and nursing associations should prepare the nursing workforce to assume leadership positions across all levels, while public, private, and governmental health care decision makers should ensure that leadership positions are available to and filled by nurses (IOM, 2010). Being involved in TNSA prepares nursing students to assume leadership positions and grow into confident goal oriented nurses. Not only that, but TNSA offers opportunities to meet and network with other students and schools across the country. It is never too early to expand your skills or leadership and management. Apply to TNSA and gain lasting friendships, memories, and great learning experiences. How to you run: Please refer to the Texas Nursing Students Association, Inc. (TNSA) Chapter Information Guide It should be in possession of your local Student Nurses Association (SNA) President. If you do not have one, please contact Pat Pollock to request a copy be sent to your school. If you are interested in running for office please refer to page 112 to 124 in the Chapter Information Guide. There you will find the election rules, duties of the officers, campaigning rules and regulations, ideas for running a successful campaign, digest of information for candidates, biological data form, consent to serve, nomination form, and school approval form. APPLICANTS FOR CANDIDACY MUST COMPLETE AND SEND IN FORMS F THOUGH H TO BE ELIGIBLE TO RUN FOR OFFICE. THE DEADLINE IS JANUARY 31, THE CANDIDATE CANNOT BEGIN CAMPAIGNING UNTIL THE NOMINATION CHAIR (CARMINA CARDONA) HAS APPROVED THESE FORMS AND THE CANDIDATE HAS BEEN NOMINATED FROM THE FLOOR OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. For all questions concerning the application or the application process, contact Pat Pollock at: or tnsa@flash.net (For all messages: Please leave your name, number, and school being attended) Please contact Nominations Chair Carmina Cardona for questions regarding campaigning rules and regulations. Carmina Cardona TNSA Nominating Chairman nom.chair@tnsa.org 3

4 National News: Reflections for NSNA Mid-Year Conference Greetings all, I had the opportunity to attend Mid-Year Conference for the National Student Nurses Association in Portland, Oregon on November 6-8, During these three days I was able to meet many nursing students from across the United States. There were guest speakers during the meeting and many focus sessions that helped state and local organizations to run an effective organization. I was able to attend Council of State Presidents (COSP) as a member of the Planning Committee for COSP since I am the immediate past President for TNSA. One of the many beneficial elements that I am able to bring back to the state organization is how to deal with conflict resolution in a professional manner. This is something that can be brought back and put to use within the state organization. One of the speakers, Pamela Avila, gave an address of Sex Trafficking: Commercial Sexual Exploitation on Children and during this presentation she took the audience through case studies, child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation of children, global trafficking, and the domestic scope of the problem. She also gave a brief overview of what to look for as indicators and physical signs of abuse and the implications on nursing. There is a copy of the presentation available on and can be found under the meetings tab when clicking on Mid-Year conferences and under the resources/downloads link. I also had the privilege to meet Sharon Pappas who is the Region Eight Director for the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She gave an amazing presentation during the COSP Luncheon. The topic of her presentation was Value, A Nursing Outcome. She covered the value of good nursing care; a value that depends on quality, service, and cost. Most nurses feel that the financial metrics are not the responsibility of the staff nurse but they ultimately are. There are several steps that can be implied and the concerns about the cost of nurses and nursing structures are a top concern for executives that are hungry for evidence on the financial return on these structures. She also provided some very strong advice that I would like to pass on to you! Never stop learning. Nursing is full of so many unique rolls, so experience them. Get involved; belong to a professional organization. Next, be a mentor. Advance your education and seize the day, because nursing is not just a job but also a profession. On the last note, Dr. Jack Cochran stated Real leadership starts from a proposition that you do not seek or accept a leadership designation because it pays better or because you get more recognition, but because you hunger for the responsibility of making a difference. Overall, having the opportunity to attend a national convention is awe-inspiring and a tremendous professional opportunity. Best Regards, Kathryn Mendez TNSA Southern Regional Director South.director@tnsa.org Upcoming Conferences 2015 TNSA 67thAnnual Convention o February 19-21, 2015 o Doubletree by Hilton Austin, Austin, Texas NSNA 63rd Annual Convention o April 8-11, o Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ

5 We Know What its Like: Transitioning from Pre-Nursing to Nursing We've all been there: waiting patiently for possibly the most important of our lives telling us if we've been accepted to nursing school. Can you say stress? But the stress didn't start there. The stress was there as we pressed "SUBMIT" on our applications, signifying our surrender as we turned in the precious nursing school application we had been working on and reviewing for weeks. The stress was there as we cautiously filled out those applications, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. Tweaking every detail so it would sound as intelligent as possible, but still attempting to stay personal so that it says to the admissions committee "this is me." But the stress didn't start there. It was there through all of our prerequisites as we struggled to maintain the competitive GPA we've been told repetitively that we must have. We stressed as we attempted to manage our time through classes, labs, campus organizations, community service, volunteering, and part time jobs. The stress started a few moments after we decided that "yes, I want to be a nurse" and we realized "I must get into nursing school first." We know what this whole process feels like; it s not easy. I haven't even mentioned the stress as we prepared to start nursing school and how overwhelming the first few weeks of nursing school were. But fortunately, there s a way that we can help our pre-nursing students and its through Texas Nursing Students' Association. From my experiences, there hasn't been much of a connection between pre-nursing status and the nursing school. Its two completely different worlds and that just makes being a pre-nursing even harder because as a pre-nursing student you have no idea what to expect. And when you get to nursing school, its like stepping on a whole new planet, which doesn't make for a smooth transition. If there was a way to connect these pre-nursing students to the current nursing students, they would be able to ask questions and get a taste of what nursing school is like before they even get to nursing school. This will make their transition smoother and will make ultimately make the start of their nursing school career easier and not so overwhelming. We can bridge the gap between pre-nursing and nursing school through Texas Nursing Schools' Association. I was personally connected through TNSA, which made my application process and beginning of nursing school much easier. Most schools don't know that pre-nursing students can be members of their local TNSA chapter. This is beneficial to prenursing students because they get that exposure into the nursing world and get connected to nursing students. It s also beneficial to the local chapter because the school would have a greater representation on the state and national levels. Now how do we get the pre-nursing students to join? Advertise the organization! Go to common pre-nursing prerequisite classes and present the organization and advertise the benefits. Invite them to the local chapter meetings and include them in community service events. Have social events and allow them to mix and mingle with the current nursing students. Bridging the gap between the pre-nursing students and current nursing students through TNSA can be beneficial to the pre-nursing students and the local TNSA chapter. Being apart of TNSA as a pre-nursing student definitely made my transition smoother and gave me an idea of what to expect as I prepared to start nursing school. Getting the prenursing students involved may be difficult, but it can be done through dedication and positive advertising. If your school has ideas on how to get the pre-nursing students more involved let me know and I can share it with all of our local TNSA chapters. We are nurses-in-training and we all know how difficult that can be, but remember the prenursing students because we know what its like. Justine Dockery TNSA Western Regional Director west.director@tnsa.org 5

6 Meet TNSA s Officers and Consultants PRESIDENT BRIANNA DURDIN president@tnsa.org TNSA CONSULTANT HEATHER EVARTS, RN heatherevarts@earthlink.net NORTHERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR SARAH ERVIN north.director@tnsa.org VICE PRESIDENT LAURA LOCKE vise.pres@tnsa.org SOUTHERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR KATHRYN MENDEZ south.director@tnsa.org SECRETARY-TREASURER TBA EDITOR JESSICA HARLEY editor@tnsa.org EASTERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR TBA WESTERN REGIONAL DIRECTOR JUSTINE DOCKERY west.director@tnsa.org NOMINATING CHAIRMAN CARMINA CARDONA nom.chair@tnsa.org ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR PAT POLLOCK tnsa@flash.net TNSA SPECIAL CONSULTANT JUDY KAYE SMITH, PHD(C),MSN,MN, RN- BC Judy.Smith@Lamar.edu