by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer
The head of America’s largest nursing organization will be the keynote speaker when the Oklahoma Nurses Association holds its annual convention Oct 18-19.
American Nurses Association President Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, will speak during the two-day event.
The Oklahoma Nurses Association will present the 2017 Annual Nurses Convention, titled Dawn of a New Era in Health Care, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Norman.
“It allows nurses to come together and network and learn about issues facing nurses and determine the focus of the association for next year,” said ONA Executive Director Jane Nelson.
During this two-day convention, Nelson said the association will focus on the evolving face of health care and its impact on nurses and nursing.
Attention will be given to emerging programs and trends that are in development at the state and federal level. Sessions will also highlight the power nurses have on state and local policymakers.
The convention also serves as an avenue for allowing nurses to share best-practice information.
VOICE OF 3.6 MILLION NURSES
Cipriano is the 35th president of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nation’s largest nurses organization representing the interests of the nation’s 3.6 million registered nurses.
A distinguished nursing leader, Cipriano has extensive experience as an executive in academic medical centers.
In 2016, she was named one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine for the second year in a row. In 2015, the publication also named her as one of the “Top 25 Women in Healthcare.”
Prior to becoming ANA president, Cipriano was senior director for health care management at Galloway Consulting. She has served in faculty and leadership positions at the University of Virginia (UVA) since 2000, and currently holds a faculty appointment as research associate professor at the UVA School of Nursing.
She is known nationally and internationally as a strong advocate for health care quality. She was elected to the International Council of Nurses Executive Board in 2017 and has served on a number of boards and committees for influential national organizations, including the National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission. Dr. Cipriano was the 2010-11 Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence at the Institute of Medicine.
Cipriano has been a longtime active member in ANA at the national and state levels. She was the recipient of the association’s 2008 Distinguished Membership Award for her outstanding contributions to ANA and was the inaugural editor-in-chief of American Nurse Today, the official journal of the American Nurses Association, from 2006-14.
She is certified in advanced nursing executive administration. She holds a PhD in executive nursing administration from the University of Utah College of Nursing, a master of nursing degree in physiological nursing from the University of Washington, and a bachelor of science in nursing degree from American University. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as a fellow in 1991.
The Mission of the Oklahoma Nurses Association is to empower nurses to improve health care in all specialties and practice settings by working as a community of professional nurses.
Nelson said nurses can register for this year’s event by going to the association’s website at www.oklahomanurses.org. Nurses can also call the association at 405-840-3476 with any questions.
“It’s a great way to get involved and a great way to learn about the work of the association,” Nelson said of the yearly gathering of Oklahoma nurses.
The association’s house of delegates will meet on the convention’s first day to determine the group’s focus for the upcoming year.
Nelson said nearly 30 informational nursing practice posters created by Oklahoma nurses will be on display. The day will conclude with a reception allowing attendees an opportunity to talk to the poster presenters.
Cipriano will kick off the Thursday session at 8 a.m. with her presentation Nursing’s Voice in Health Care Reform. Breakout sessions begin at 10 a.m.
Breakout session topics include:
* Nurses improving care for health system elders
* Hooking a new grad is easy, but how do you keep them?
* The practice of mindful meditation as a self-care act
* Unconscious bias and gender neutral communication
* The enhanced nurse licensure compact
* Effectiveness of an educational intervention on health care and nursing student knowledge
* Overcomer: Thriving through professional challenges
* Humor as Medicine
