University of pennsylvania NURSING students travel to Lancaster, pa and receive special Recognitions!
Philadelphia, PA November 20th, 2010: Student Nurses at Penn (SNAP) sent twenty-five nursing students to the 58th Annual Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) State Convention in Lancaster, PA, which took place November 17th-20th. They joined over eight hundred nursing students from across the state, and participated in the various networking, professional development, and organizational governance opportunities offered at the conference.
The twenty-five students who attended the SNAP convention were as follows: Nursing/Wharton senior and SNAP President, G.J. Melendez-Torres; nursing senior and SNAP Vice President, Amelia Cataldo; nursing senior and SNAP Peer Advising Co-Chair, Katie Goldschmidt; nursing senior and Penn Class of 2011 Class Board Nursing Chair, Tamara Yang; nursing senior, Abby McDowell; nursing senior, Naomi Yager; nursing junior and SNAP Legislative Coordinator, Amanda Daley; nursing junior and SNAP CPR Chair, Karen McVay; nursing sophomore and SNAP Fundraising Chair, Debbie Yiu; nursing sophomore, Kaitlin Best; nursing sophomore, Gabriella Kim; nursing freshman, Caroline Bourassa; nursing freshman, Nora Casper; nursing freshman, Ellen Chang; nursing freshman, Lauren Cosgriff; nursing freshman, Bianca Cutler; nursing freshman, Leah Geoghegan; nursing freshman, Emily Johnson; nursing freshman, Ryan Keating; nursing freshman, Hannah Lan; nursing freshman, Michelle Murphy; nursing freshman, Christopher Wojcik; nursing second degree student and SNAP Second Degree Peer Advising Chair, Erica Blanco; nursing second degree student, Alison Ercole; and nursing second degree student, Antonette Shaw. They were accompanied by Dr. Diane Spatz, SNAP’s devoted Faculty Advisor.
SNAP nominated two students to run for Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania board positions. Both of these students had tough competition, however through their successful campaigns, both were elected to become state board members. Amanda Daley, a School of Nursing junior was elected for a state board position and will be serving on the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC)-Eastern Region. Kaitlin Best, nursing sophomore, was elected as the Legislative Coordinator for the SNAP state board. Both of these students will superbly represent Penn Nursing as leaders on the state board for this next year.
Penn Nursing also had an important impact on the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania government. Amelia Cataldo, Katie Goldschmidt, Naomi Yager, Tamara Yang, Karen McVay, and Kaitlin Best served as Penn’s six allotted delegates to represent Penn Nursing.
SNAP’s Legislative Coordinator, Amanda Daley, presented a resolution in support of promoting the implementation of sexual assault nurse examiner programs. It passed with unanimous support from the House of Delegates.
Student Nurses at Penn was awarded the Chapter Excellence Award, recognizing the group’s outstanding achievements and initiatives throughout the past year. This award was given to the chapter in Pennsylvania with 51 to 100 members that best met the following criteria: Outstanding participation at chapter meetings and chapter-sponsored events; success in community projects and fundraising activities that promote the nursing profession in the community and encourage student and member involvement; and retention and recruitment of the chapter’s membership. In addition, Student Nurses at Penn received the Outstanding Website Award that recognized SNAP’s internet site for informing members of local and state nursing events and national nursing news in a timely and interesting manner. The website was judged based on its ability to create interest for student participation in events, inspire student contributions to the website, promote a positive image of nursing, and report on current issues/concerns of the profession of nursing.
SNAP President and Nursing/Wharton senior, G.J. Melendez-Torres, received the Dr. Rena Lawrence Memorial Award which recognized him for his commitments to academic achievement, nursing care, the profession of nursing, the community, personal and professional growth, and mentoring peers and colleagues. SNAP is very proud of G.J. for being the only student in the state of Pennsylvania to be recognized with this wonderful honor.
Additionally, the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania recognized seven outstanding Penn Nursing students with scholarships. Scholarships were awarded to nursing seniors Amelia Cataldo and Naomi Yager; nursing juniors Amanda Daley and Karen McVay; and nursing freshmen, Nora Casper, Lauren Cosgriff, and Bianca Cutler. These scholarships were sponsored by HCR ManorCare, Jeanes Hospital, Memorial Hospital, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, PinnacleHealth, Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania, and Temple University Hospital.
Dr. Kathy McCauley, Penn Nursing’s Associate Dean for Academic Programs, made a standing room only presentation entitled, “Learning Can be Fun! Tap Dancing Heart Rhythms.” During her presentation, Dr. McCauley’s enthusiasm for cardiac care nursing and tap dancing was evident as she tap danced normal and abnormal cardiac rhythms and explained when the rhythms are likely to occur and to which patients.
Student Nurses at Penn was able to raise $450 selling “I [Picture of an Anatomical Heart] Nursing” t-shirts. The group sold 90% of the t-shirts that they brought with them to sell at the convention!
The Penn students also enjoyed networking with potential employers and graduate schools from Pennsylvania and surrounding states at the Exhibit Hall. The students also aided Penn Nursing admissions by educating students from across the state about Penn Nursing’s academic programs at the Exhibit Hall. The students had the opportunity to connect with students and faculty from many other schools of nursing and they benefitted from listening to presentations by keynote speakers.
Please congratulate these students on their wonderful achievements and on being terrific representatives of the University and the School of Nursing!