January 21, 2014

By Tara Cooke, current BSN student

Thirty-five Drexel University nursing students were given the opportunity to attend the Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania’s (SNAP) 61^st annual State Convention from November 20 -23 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The convention was an exciting time for the Drexel Student Nurses Association since the organization was able to accomplish numerous things.

First, Alexis Burns, a current BSN senior, was elected by the organization as the next President of the SNAP. Additionally, Christina Waldron, a current BSN junior, ran for the position of Central Philadelphia Regional Coordinator. Drexel also had a team participate in the highly competitive annual NCLEX bowl. The team included students Chris Berkvam, Lauren Brown, Casey Campos, Olivia Dalrymple, and Andrea Pouschine. Their hard work and dedication was definitely shown throughout the competition.

Drexel’s chapter was also well represented at the convention’s opening meeting as current BSN junior, Rebecca Walker, sang the National Anthem and BSN pre-junior and National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) Director East, Katerina Raiser, brought greetings from the National Student Nurses Association. Raiser also volunteered as the convention’s Registration Coordinator while Arianne Man-Willrich, a BSN senior, volunteered as the convention’s Business Meeting Coordinator. Both Katerina and Arianne’s commitment to the organization was greatly appreciated. Drexel also submitted a resolution titled, “In Supporting Research and Education for a More Accurate Tool Than the Body Mass Index (BMI) Scale In Order To Identify Health Risks Related To People’s Percent Body Fat,” authored by BSN students Anne Woolley, Katerina Raiser, Addison McInnes, Erin McNamara, Olivia Dalrymple, and Maria Cruit. The resolution was accepted by the House of Delegates. 

Finally, at the annual awards ceremony, Rebecca Walker was presented with the prestigious Dr. Rena M. Lawrence award for her excellence in academics, professional endeavors, and commitment to the community. Drexel’s Student Nurses Association is looking forward to attending the National Student Nurses Association annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee in early April this year.