GNSA Bulletin - August 2021 Edition Thursday, August 12, 2021 Emerging Leaders Blandine Yacinthus, BSN, RN BS to DNP Program Regis College Anticipated Graduation Date: August 2022 My background in nursing is broad, but I have always had a strong interest in mental health. A few years ago, while working as a correctional nurse in the prison system, I realized that the behavioral population was not receiving all the help it needed, and I thought I could be one of the people advocating for them and advocating for my fellow nurses. After interviewing with a couple of advanced practice nursing schools, I chose my current program at Regis mainly because of the follow up from the advisor and the fact that the program is 100% online. I find the program rigorous and very formative. In my opinion, students are being well-trained to face the requirements of our ever-evolving healthcare system. I have had many opportunities to grow professionally and academically since I enrolled in the program because the school offers things such as graduate assistance positions, which not only assist students with their tuition, but also help prepare them for their future professional roles. Before starting the DNP program, my plan was to practice as a nurse practitioner and continue teaching (I occasionally work as an adjunct clinical faculty at a local university). But after being involved in various types of nursing studies, I now have a plan to also include some research in my professional future. GNSA members are doing extraordinary things across the country and globally. Are you our next emerging leader? Do you excel in your graduate program, demonstrate excitement for your nursing work, and/or have potential to greatly contribute to health care? If so, submit an emerging leader nomination form today to self-nominate or nominate a fellow student. The emerging leader will be selected from the applicants and notified when they will be profiled. Help us recognize future nursing leaders! Noteworthy Article: Increasing Racial/Ethnic Diversification of Nursing Faculty in Higher Ed is Needed Now Roy Thompson, a PhD candidate from Duke University School of Nursing contributed to a guest editorial titled Increasing Racial/Ethnic Diversification of Nursing Faculty in Higher Ed Is Needed Now. During the article, Mr. Thompson calls on schools of nursing to "commit to implementing anti-racist and culturally appropriate recruitment and retention strategies". In addition, Mr. Thompson also offers more than a dozen strategies for schools to consider related to faculty recruitment and retention and addressing systemic discrimination. NAM to Host Two Twitter Chats on Actionizing Recommendations from the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Report On August 10, 2021, the National Academy of Medicine's Future of Nursing program will host two Twitter chats to engage nurses and hear their perspectives on actionizing recommendations from the new report: Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Join the conversations at 12:00-1:00 pm ET and 9:00-10:00 pm ET. Take Over the GNSA Instagram! Are you interested in sharing details about your life as a student? Want to show how you balance your time between work, school, and home? If so, participate in the GNSA Instagram Takeover Tuesdays. Share your strategies for success with other graduate students. What is your go-to study snack? What does your desk look like? Have you recently attended a webinar and want to share your experience and thoughts? Share all this and more on #Takeover Tuesday. Fill out this form to participate. DNPs of Color Upcoming Webinar On August 17 at 7:00 pm ET, DNPs of Color will host a webinar titled Nursing Faculty: Navigating Your First Year in Academia and Beyond. If you are interested in attending this event and learn about their other events, click here to register. Join the GNSA! Take advantage of the various benefits that are free to you as a graduate student! Tell your fellow students and make sure they join today! Click here to complete the online application. Preparing for the Academic Year Ahead As we near the start of another school year, I am sure that there many things on your mind. On top of the stress and excitement that comes along with a new school year, we are also still in the midst of a pandemic. So, in light of these two events coinciding with one another, I have compiled some of my own thoughts and practices that may help other graduate nursing students as well. Getting Organized (and staying sane!) I like to make sure I have my calendar ready to go (I am old-school and prefer my paper and pen-based calendar) with room to write in and make note of specific dates. I put Zoom meetings, vacations, weekly reminders, due dates of assignments, and even loved one’s birthdays on this calendar. If I have any long-term goals I am working towards (such as a dissertation proposal or manuscript submission), I may give myself some personal deadlines and write them in my calendar. This can help me stay on track for my personal and academic goals. I also like to write down the fun/self-care items I have planned for the semester. It gives me something to look forward to when I look on my weekly to-do list and often gives me that extra boost of endurance I need to get through the difficult weeks (something fun is coming!). As you progress in your program, you may be getting to a place where you are applying for jobs or other opportunities while simultaneously completing graduate program requirements. It helps me to start the semester by updating my resume/CV and having a cover letter draft. By doing this, I have most of the hard work out of the way and can quickly apply to new opportunities (should the opportunity arise) without taking too much time from my work week. Just remember to edit your cover letters before submission (i.e., changing the addressee and altering some of the language to be suitable for the opportunity you are applying for). Staying Safe Universities across the country are going to have very different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., when masks are required, if students will go back online, etc.). I am preparing for change to occur. I am not sure what will happen, but I am trying to stay flexible. Knowing that change could occur may be helpful moving forward. If your university or college of nursing implements a policy regarding the COVID-19 pandemic that you think could be problematic, speak up and use your nursing voice. We need to use our nursing voice, but we can also do so in respectful ways. At your university, identify who is the person you would contact regarding COVID policies/procedures and craft a respectful, evidence-based email or script regarding the policy you think is problematic, where you think it falls short, and what you would propose. Universities and colleges of nursing typically consider a multitude of stakeholder perspectives prior to making a decision, so do bear that in mind. It also may be a good idea to reach out to your school's graduate student senate. I would encourage all graduate nursing students to get vaccinated if you are safely able to do so and follow leading heath guidelines (WHO, CDC, NIAID, etc.) to prevent COVID-19 transmission. I hope everyone has a great start to the Fall semester! Marissa Bartmess, BSN, RN GNSA Leadership Council Member University of Tennessee, Knoxville How Do You Prepare for the Academic Year? We all have our strategies to help get us mentally prepared for the academic year. Whether it's planning out a detailed calendar, making sure you get in some family time, or catching up on some academic reading, each of these activities helps ensure that you have a successful academic year. Share your strategies in the GNSA Connect community and engage in a dialogue to see if there are any tips you can borrow. Are there tools or resources you are excited to try (such as scheduling tools, time management apps, or even meditation apps), be sure to share those. If you have already used some tools or apps your excited to continue to use, tell us about your experience! Login to your MyAACN account and click on GNSA Connect from your GNSA dashboard. 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