AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE

Nursing student inspired after conference

Krystal Craft, a first semester junior in CONHI’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, recently attended the 2022 National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) Conference, where she experienced delegate proceedings and learned how resolutions were created, advocated for, and passed.

“It was an eye-opening process that showed me how we can stand up for ourselves, our patients, and the nursing profession,” she says. “By teaming up with one another, getting more involved in advocacy and policy change, and putting patient care at the very heart of what we do, we can achieve things tomorrow that seem like only a dream today.”

Though not yet a graduate, Craft has received great advice from those in the nursing profession, both new to the field as well as seasoned professionals. It is advice that was reinforced from her experience at the NSNA Conference.

“Each individual nurse is in control of how they practice. Being an informed, competent nurse who engages in evidenced based practice is a choice,” she says. “While the nursing profession has maintained a No. 1 spot as the most trusted profession in America, we as individuals must work each day to continue to hold that spot and maintain the public’s trust.”

While Craft does not yet know where her career will go once she graduates in 2023, she knows her passions will lead her in the right direction.

“I have always been deeply passionate about women’s health,” she says. “I will use this nursing degree to empower and encourage women with education about the incredible things they are capable of.”