GNSA Bulletin - May 2023 Edition Wednesday, May 3, 2023 Emerging Leaders Melanie D. Bobry, MS, RN, OCN PhD Program University of Rochester Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2024 I enrolled in the PhD program at the University of Rochester School of Nursing after completing a research internship for nurses led by Nurse Scientist Mary G. Carey, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN. Dr Carey taught me how to get started in research, critically appraise evidence, and engage staff nurses in learning about research. She made research seem interesting and fun! This was an ‘A-ha!’ moment for me, as I realized how I wanted my career to develop. As a clinical nurse, I see that many nurses are not comfortable applying evidence-based practice (EBP), reading journals, or participating in research. My goal is to make research and EBP more approachable and understandable for all nurses. Since my experience with Dr. Carey, I have completed my MSN focused on Nursing Education, earned an Advanced Certificate in Online Teaching, and started my PhD program. The program was ideal for me as I have learned all of the best practices for educating nurses along with developing my skills as a researcher and scholar. The more I learn, the more I want to share with my nursing peers, integrating research into everything I teach. After graduation I plan to pursue an academic faculty career and develop my role as a research expert for clinical nurses. I love being a nurse, and I want to help advance the profession of nursing, through education, research, and advocacy. 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 for yourself or 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! Celebrate National Nurses Week with the GNSA on Social Media! Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as we celebrate National Nurses Week. Join us on May 8 for our Tag a Nurse campaign. We will also be sharing posts on different freebies and discounts that you can enjoy throughout the week. Noteworthy Publication: In the April 2023 Journal of Nursing Regulation, Dr. Brenda Martin and colleagues from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) published a study on Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Burnout and Stress Among U.S. Nurses. The researchers assessed how increasing workloads, insufficient staffing, and high levels of burnout are depleting nursing supply and driving younger nurses away from the profession. Key findings include: Nearly 100,000 RNs left the workforce in the past two years due to stress, burnout, and retirements. 610,388 RNs reported an “intent to leave” the workforce by 2027. An additional 188,962 RNs under the age of 40 reported similar intentions to leave. The authors call for federal policymakers, health systems, regulators, and academic leaders to work together to develop sustainable solutions to strengthening the U.S. workforce. Explore AACN Career Center for Faculty Opportunities Looking for a faculty position? Explore AACN's Career Center where you can filter by job type, city, and state. Featured Faculty Positions: Tenured Faculty, Wayne State University Part-Time Nursing Faculty - Pediatrics, Oak Point University Clinical Assistant/Clinical Associate Professor - Psych/Mental Health NP, University of New Hampshire To view more positions, click here. 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. Prioritizing Your Well-Being As caregivers, we devote so much of our time and energy to the well-being of others, but it's important to remember to take care of ourselves, too. With National Stress Awareness Month in full swing, we wanted to share some tips for managing stress and improving your well-being. Prioritize self-care: Self-care is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Make time for activities that bring you joy, such as reading a book, going for a walk, or taking a bubble bath. These small acts of self-care can help you feel more relaxed and rejuvenated. Take a Self-Compassion break. Improve sleep to improve stress: The Sleep Foundation offers Healthy Sleep Tips, and here is a Guide to a Good Night's Rest to help in your effort to get more sleep! Connect with colleagues: Your colleagues understand the unique demands of your job and can offer valuable support. Make time to connect with them outside of work, whether it's grabbing lunch together or chatting over the phone. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is a powerful tool for managing stress. You can practice mindfulness in many ways, such as meditation, deep breathing, or simply focusing on the present moment. Consider trying a mindfulness app, like Headspace, Happify, or Calm, to get started. Here are some free stress relief ideas that you may find helpful: Deep breathing: Taking slow, deep breaths can help reduce stress and anxiety. Try inhaling deeply through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for a count of four, and exhaling slowly through your mouth for a count of four. Repeat as needed. Progressive muscle relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups to release tension in the body. There are many guided progressive muscle relaxation videos available on YouTube and other online platforms. Journaling: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a helpful way to process stress and reduce anxiety. Try writing in a journal for a few minutes each day, focusing on what's going well and what you're grateful for. Mindful walking: Mindful walking involves paying attention to your surroundings and the physical sensations of walking. Take a short walk outside and focus on the sights, sounds, and sensations around you. Creative expression: Engaging in creative activities like drawing, painting, or playing music can be a great way to reduce stress and boost mood. You don't have to be an expert – the goal is to have fun and express yourself. Move your body: Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and boost your mood. Even a short walk around the block can make a big difference. Find a type of exercise that you enjoy and try to make it a regular part of your routine. Yoga: Yoga combines physical postures with breathing techniques and meditation to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Many yoga studios and gyms offer classes, or you can find free online yoga videos on YouTube or apps like Yoga Studio. Exercise: Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve your mood. Whether it's going for a run, taking a bike ride, or doing a workout video at home, find an exercise that you enjoy and make it a regular part of your routine. Nature: Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood. Take a walk in a park, go for a hike, or simply sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. Seek professional support: If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't hesitate to seek professional support. Your employer may offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides counseling services, or you can reach out to a mental health professional on your own. Therapy: If you're feeling overwhelmed and need extra support, therapy can be a helpful resource. Many therapists offer virtual sessions, and there are also online therapy platforms like BetterHelp and Talkspace. Remember, taking care of yourself is not selfish – it's necessary for your well-being and the well-being of your patients. We appreciate all that you do and hope these tips help you find some peace and relaxation in your busy lives. Shazia Mitha GNSA Leadership Council Member PhD Student Columbia University Call for Applications: 2023-2025 GNSA Leadership Council The GNSA is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2023-2025 Leadership Council. The 10-member Leadership Council provides strategic direction on GNSA programs, services, and resources. In this role, GNSA members have a direct opportunity to serve in a leadership role and represent fellow master's and doctoral nursing students across the country. In order to serve, you must meet the following criteria: Be a graduate nursing student at an AACN member institution Be a current GNSA member Have at least one year of course work in the program left to complete beginning with the fall 2023 semester Able to participate in a monthly conference call (TBD) during the year for 1–2 hours Able to participate in one face-to-face meeting annually (August 16 in Washington, DC prior to the start of the GNSA Conference) Serve the full two-year term If you are interested in applying for this exciting opportunity, click here to complete the online form. Applicants are asked to provide a brief statement on what they hope to accomplish on the Council as well as remark on how graduate-prepared nurses can help transform the future of health care. A CV or resume is also requested. The submission deadline for the application is Friday, June 2, 2023. Selections for the Leadership Council will be announced by July. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please reach out to Marilyne Njuraita at mnjuraita@aacnnursing.org. Join Graduate Students at the GNSA Conference in Washington, DC Register now for the 2023 GNSA Conference which will be held on August 17-18, 2023 in Washington, DC. The theme will focus on Building Partnerships in Nursing: Addressing Current and Future Challenges with sessions on improving patient outcomes and navigating workforce challenges. If you are ready to join your nursing colleagues from across the country, register below! To learn more, click here>> REGISTER GNSA Lunch and Learn Sessions The GNSA is offering a new series called Lunch and Learn. These 30-minute sessions are hosted by members of the GNSA Leadership Council. Bring your lunch or coffee for informal discussions around hot topics, issues of interest to graduate nursing students, or opportunities to collaborate on practice or research. May GNSA Lunch and Learn Session Topic: Self-Care and Wellness Date: May 24 at 1:00 pm ET Speaker: Marta Okoniewski, Director of Student Engagement and Shazia Mitha, PhD Student at Columbia University Join May's Lunch and Learn session as we share some self-care strategies and ways to focus on wellness. Join us as we engage in a mindfulness and breathing exercise and share your current stressors. Use this session as an opportunity to relax and recharge. REGISTER Meet the Newest GNSA Liaisons Join Our Network of GNSA Liaisons to Further Expand Your Leadership Skills Join the team of GNSA Liaisons who serve as the representatives for the graduate nursing students at their school and be part of a community of nurse leaders. Serving as a GNSA Liaison gives you an opportunity to build leadership skills, grow your professional network, and receive access to important resources to help you excel as a graduate student. In addition, Liaisons are often considered for national opportunities to serve on committees and other workgroups. Sign up to serve as a GNSA Liaison for your institution today! To learn more about the role, click here to access the Liaison orientation video. GNSA Resource Highlight: Springer Publishing Discount GNSA members are eligible for an exclusive 40% discount on all books offered through Springer Publishing by using the special discount code GNSA during checkout. Click on the following link to explore the resources available through Springer Publishing and use the code today! In addition to various publications available through Springer Publishing, you may also be interested in the various certification prep materials that they offer. To take advantage of the 40% discount today, click here. WEBINARS ChatGPT Challenges and Opportunities May 11, 2 :00 pm ET ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows human-like conversations and much more with the chatbot. The language model can answer questions and assist you with tasks such as composing emails, essays, and code. ChatGPT boasts of saving human time by completing repetitive tasks. However, academic dishonesty is one of the challenges nurse educators face in the use of this technology. ChatGPT also lends itself to uses that promote student learning and support the nurse educator. This webinar will address the challenges and opportunities of ChatGPT technology. REGISTER The Evolution of a Collaborative Relationship Between a PhD and DNP Student Team May 23, 2 :00 pm ET Join this webinar as the 2022 GNSA PhD-DNP Collaboration Excellence Award winners explore their collaboration which led to a winning project. The team will discuss their long history of collaboration, their differing but symbiotic education paths, how they identified their project for collaboration, strategies used to leverage their strengths, and next steps for their work. Participants will be exposed to a winning collaboration project and leave inspired to find their own ways to connect across doctoral program types. REGISTER OPPORTUNITY ALERTS Residency Program Opportunity - South Texas VA System The South Texas Health Care System Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is a 12-month post-graduate, precepted training program within Geriatric Extended Care settings with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of leadership skills. The fall cohort is accepting applications through May 30. For more information on benefits and eligibility requirements, contact Maria R. Decker, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-C, Residency Program Director at Maria.Decker@va.gov. Categories: GNSA Bulletin