OLHCC nursing students encourage focus on spirituality

   
    Thirteen members of the Our Lady of Holy Cross College Student Nurses Association (SNA) attended the 61st annual National Student Nurses Convention (NSNA) April 2-5 in Charlotte, N.C.  
    Before we left New Orleans, the SNA executive board worked diligently to prepare a resolution to present to the 2013 House of Delegates calling for “an increase in exposure to spiritually competent care in undergraduate nursing education.”
    A resolution is a written motion that establishes NSNA’s position on matters that affect nursing students and healthcare worldwide.  
    Our executive board members researched current themes and trends in nursing education, and we found little focus in recent research on the part spirituality plays in a person’s well being. This prompted us to write the resolution.  
    “We wanted to do this resolution because nobody had ever done one on spirituality before,” Jacquelyn Martinez, SNA historian, said. “We felt it was important for the future of holistic nursing care.”
     The OLHCC SNA executive board presented the resolution April 4 to the delegates at an informal hearing. They presented the resolution the next day for official debate to the House of Delegates. After a heated, emotional debate, the resolution passed with 62 percent of the vote.
    This was the first time a resolution presented by OLHCC was adopted by the national association’s House of Delegates.  
    “It was truly a great honor to be able to be a part of the voice of our generation of nursing students,” Christianne Bean, SNA vice president, said of the accomplishment.
    During the convention, I campaigned for the position of vice president of NSNA, using the slogan: “Vote Bice for Vice.” I spoke before several caucus meetings of state nursing student associations.
    I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to represent my school and state on the national level of the Student Nurses Association and was honored to even be on the slate of candidates. After several days of hard campaigning, I received 330 votes and was elected vice president of NSNA.
    This historic week could have been accomplished only with the support of the faculty and the dean of OLHCC. The executive board and SNA members are excited and honored to represent OLHCC and the state of Louisiana through their work on the national level.
    Our Lady of Holy Cross College is an accredited Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1916 and offering a variety of programs including nursing, biology, education, counseling and theology.
    Kelsea Bice is a junior nursing student at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in Algiers. She is the current president of the Student Nurses Association at Holy Cross and also president of the Louisiana Association of Student Nurses.