According to the landmark report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health Report; nurses, nursing education programs, and nursing associations should prepare the nursing workforce to assume leadership positions across all levels.
Through nurses’ involvement in professional organizations, nurses also can have an impact on maintaining momentum as well as on creating innovative ways of implementing the IOM recommendations. Just as nursing students have an impact through involvement with NSNA, as evidenced by the article entitled “Nursing students make the world a better place through policy development,” new nurses who have experienced shared governance through their participation in the NSNA are vested in decision making and understand how policy influences systems and impacts quality nursing care.
When student leaders learn and practice the role of cooperative leadership, the skills they develop are assimilated into their leadership roles in caring for patients and leading teams in the workplace.
By signing this petition you are asking that Nursing Faculty, Staff, and Deans amend their student hand book to help, promote, and encourage nursing students who aspire to be actively involved in the National Student Nursing Association at the national, state and school levels by:
-Announcing student nurse association (SNA) activities in class
-Scheduling exams and assignments so students can attend SNA events and conventions to the best of their abilities
-Providing an opportunity for members to share their experiences
-Blending certain course requirements with SNA involvement
-Demonstrate support to students by implementing a total school membership plan
-Attending SNA events with students to convey the value of leadership development to students
-Implementing policy or a shared philosophy to directly support students’ leadership opportunities and to attend NSNA conferences without being academically penalized
“Each institution has a duty to develop policies and procedures which provide and safeguard the students’ freedom to learn!”
