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The 45 anniversary & 44 annual conference for the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) convened in Memphis
TN with thousands of attendees. Frontier Nursing University’s Diversity PRIDE Program Coordinator, Wilvena Bernard, along with PRIDE Student Ambassadors Essence Williams and Homecia St.Clair, attended the conference and represented the University with information on FNU’s distance education and specialty tracks.
Frontier PRIDE attends NBNA 2016
FNU received a very high volume of attendees, with 103 attendees requesting more information about FNU. Sixty-seven interest cards were collected from prospective students interested in applying to, and learning more about FNU’s degree programs. The remaining cards filled out included attendees that expressed interest in being a potential preceptor along with interest in FNU faculty position openings.
Conference workshops focused on multifaceted opportunities in nursing and healthcare, along with advocacy for a diverse and inclusive workforce to improve the health of citizens living in diverse communities. The conference theme focused on, “The Changing Face of Nursing”, which celebrated past and further goals of NBNA, including creating a culture of health, end-of-life care, mentorship, global health, wellness promotion strategies, gender and children’s health. This year, NBNA featured one of FNU’s students, Essence Williams, as a national student speaker. Essence (pictured above) presented on “Reducing Stress & Infant Mortality Rates in African American Women”, which received an enthusiastic applause from the NBNA audience. FNU PRIDE student Essence shares her excitement, “That was a very impactful experience for me because I’m very passionate about that topic and I’m also passionate about helping to reduce health disparities, particularly in the black community”. Part of the NBNA conference activities allowed attendees the opportunity to tour the National Civil Rights Museum, which was the site of the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. FNU PRIDE student Homecia shares her experience during the tour, “It was a very moving exhibit, and they’ve done an excellent job preserving that area”. As she references the place Martin Luther King Jr. was last seen alive. One tribute at NBNA was a focus on the historical journey into understanding present day health disparities and health progress within African American communities. FNU connected with NBNA executive officers to further new opportunities for NBNA student members as it relates to applying to FNU’s academic programs. The strong interest in FNU’s programs provides a platform for the National Black Nurses Association to continue to serve as a prime target to increase visibility and diverse collaborations with the organization. PRIDE student Homecia sums up her participation at this year’s NBNA conference, “It was a great time. The nurses were so encouraging and the comradery in the building was astronomical…I had a great time!” Click here to see the PRIDE Student Ambassadors video diary of NBNA! Contributor, Wilvena McDowell-Bernard, FNU Diversity PRIDE Program Coordinator/Student Services, 8/19/2016
