The Emory Student Nurses Association (ESNA) brought home a number of awards from the 62nd Annual National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) Convention in Nashville, April 9-12.

Forty-three Emory nursing students attended the convention, which attracted thousands of student leaders from across the nation for professional development sessions, networking, and poster presentations. 

"All of our students represented Emory in amazing fashion. They were engaged, enthusiastic, and professional," said Kathy Markowski, ESNA’s faculty advisor.

Highlights from the convention included:

• The Georgia Association of Nursing Students (GANS) won the Breakthrough To Nursing Award, the Disaster Preparedness Award, and the NSNA State Excellence Award. Lanyon

• ESNA's resolution on raising awareness of the current recommendations of HPV vaccination in males passed overwhelmingly in the House of Delegates. The resolution was written by Lauren Franke and presented by Erin Reeves.
• Asma Agad won 3rd place in NSNA's International Photo Contest.
• Elizabeth Finley, Asma Agad, and Charles Edge III were awarded scholarships.
• The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing was once again recognized as a Stellar School.
• Students attended NCLEX reviews and a variety of focus sessions
• Clinical Associate Professor Maeve Howett led a focus session at the convention, titled, "Reproductive Health and Environment: Can Lifestyle Affect Fertility and Offspring?"

Seven posters were presented. Titles and students involved are listed below: 

• "Health Promotion Program for Low-Income Elderly and Disabled Residents at East Lake Tower" (K. Anderson, J.Cole, T.James, H.Lee, T.Peats, M.Yang, D.Taylor, Q.Phan)
• "The Effectiveness of Telemetry for Veterans" ( K.Spires, E.Finley, D.Pete)
• "Will Implementation of a Structured Handoff Communication Tool Impact Continuity of Care and Patient Outcomes?" (I.Newton, P.Susgin, A.McClain)
• "Assessing Competency of Medical/Surgical Nurses Related to Cardiopulmonary Arrest Events" (Q.Pham, B.Sestrich, K.Gonzales, S.Criswell)
• "Use of Motivational Interviewing to Improve Health Outcomes For Diabetic Patients" ( D.McCoy, C.Jones)
• Influenza and our Veterans: An Evaluation of the Influenza Vaccination Campaign at a Complexity Level Facility (L.Davis, R.Nepal, T.Thornton, P.Shepperson)
• "Who Is the Bullied Adolescent?" (H.Heimbigner)