Agenda

Wednesday May 17, 2023

7:30 am - 8:30 am

Breakfast

8:30 am - 9:00 am

WSNA President's Welcome 0.5 CNE

Kick off this year's convention with a look back at the 2021-23 biennium and what's next.

Lynnette Vehrs, MN, RN

President, Washington State Nurses Association

9:00 am - 10:15 am

Keynote — Voice Matters: Transforming Health Care in a Post-COVID Era 1.25 CNE

This session will explore the strategic use of power by nurses to transform healthcare in the post-COVID era. Drs. Mason and McLemore will discuss the "old normal" versus the "new normal" in healthcare, identify strategies for creating a preferred "new normal," and engage in a dialogue with the audience about how nurses can use their voices and leverage policy to promote health.

Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN

Senior Policy Service Professor at the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement, George Washington University School of Nursing

Monica McLemore, PhD, MPH, RN

Interim Director, Manning Price Spratlen Center for Anti-Racism and Equity, UW

10:45 am - 11:45 am   Concurrent sessions

Malpractice Insights: Top Registered Nurse Liability Concerns 1 CNE

Reigniting Your Passion and Letting Go of What Doesn’t Work 1 CNE

Transitions of Care — Acute Care Hospital to Long Term Care 1 CNE

Psychiatric Patients: Pearls for the Bedside Nurse 1 CNE

11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Lunch

12:45 pm - 1:45 pm   Concurrent sessions

Malpractice Insights: Top Registered Nurse Liability Concerns 1 CNE

Reigniting Your Passion and Letting Go of What Doesn’t Work 1 CNE

Transitions of Care — Acute Care Hospital to Long Term Care 1 CNE

Psychiatric Patients: Pearls for the Bedside Nurse 1 CNE

2:30 pm - 3:15 pm

Legislative Update: State-level Progress on Safe Nurse Staffing and Other Legislative Priorities 0.75 CNE

Katharine Weiss, MPH

WSNA Director of Government Affairs

3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

ANA Legislative Update: Federal-level Progress on Nursing Safety 0.75 CNE

Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

President, American Nurses Association

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Meet the ANA President

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm

'Meet the Candidates' Forum

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and get to know the candidates running for statewide WSNA office for the 2023-25 biennial term.

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Spring Local Unit Council

This optional session is for WSNA members who are represented by WSNA for collective bargaining.


Thursday May 18, 2023

7:00 am - 7:45 am

Morning Yoga

Start your day centered and energized with this optional session.

7:30 am - 8:30 am

Breakfast

8:30 am - 9:45 am

Keynote — Ending Ableism Against Disabled People 1.25 CNE

Elsa Sjunneson, MA, a deafblind activist whose memoir, Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism, won for best biography/memoir in the 2022 Washington State Book Awards. She will address ending ableism against disabled persons in the healthcare system.

Elsa Sjunneson

Author and advocate

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Keynote — Research Insights in Nurse Fatigue 1 CNE

Lois James, PhD, assistant dean of Research and an associate professor in the Washington State University College of Nursing, focuses on the impact of sleep loss, fatigue, stress, and bias on performance and safety in shift workers such as nurses, police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. She will speak on her latest research.

Lois James, PhD

Assistant Dean of Research and Associate Professor, Washington State University College of Nursing

11:00 am - 12:00 pm   Concurrent sessions

FOR WSNA MEMBERS: Membership Meeting — General Assembly (session 1)

The General Assembly business meeting will set the direction for the Washington State Nurses Association for the coming two years. Shape WSNA’s priorities and goals — and learn more about how you, individually, can advance the profession of nursing.

Non-members are welcome to observe.

FOR NON-MEMBERS: self-study CNE access

Enjoy access to WSNA’s library of self-study CNE courses, including modules on:

  • Cultural Humility
  • Implicit Bias
  • Meal, Rest Breaks, and Overtime Protections
  • Workplace Violence Prevention

WSNA provides these and other online CNE courses for our members free of charge year-round. Join today!

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Lunch

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm   Concurrent sessions

FOR WSNA MEMBERS: Membership Meeting — General Assembly (session 2)

FOR NON-MEMBERS: self-study CNE access

3:00 pm - 4:20 pm   Concurrent sessions

FOR WSNA MEMBERS: Membership Meeting — General Assembly (session 3)

FOR NON-MEMBERS: self-study CNE access

5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Gala Awards Dinner and Live Auction

Celebrate with friends new and old at this gala dinner featuring a live auction benefiting nursing scholarships and an awards ceremony to recognize the nursing heroes and leaders who have made a big impact on the profession.


Friday May 19, 2023

7:00 am - 7:45 am

Morning Yoga

Start your day centered and energized with this optional session.

7:30 am - 8:30 am

Coffee

8:30 am - 9:30 am

Leading with a Curious Intention: A Path to Holding Difficult Conversations 1 CNE

Sara Kim, PhD, a research professor in surgery at the UW School of Medicine, is an expert on healthcare conflict and communication skills. She is the inaugural holder of the George G. B. Bilsten Professorship in the Art of Communication with Peers and Patients. Kim will discuss leading with a curious intention and forging a path to holding difficult conversations.

Sara Kim, PhD

Associate Dean for Educational Quality Improvement, School of Medicine, University of Washington

9:30 am - 10:30 am

Brunch and Check-out

10:30 am - 11:45 am

Panel: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 1.5 CNE

The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Panel will discuss WSNA’ white paper and workbook on DEI. The panel will be facilitated by Meaghan Eagen-Torkko, PhD, CNM, ARNP, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing at the University of Washington-Bothell. She is a certified nurse midwife and a DEI advocate at the UW School of Nursing. She currently serves on the Ethics Committee and the Gender Equity Task Force for the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Panel members: Rosa Young, Rachel Wang, Yuting Lin, Mikey O’Sullivan, and Chuck Comiskey

11:45 am - 12:45 pm

Closing Keynote — Leading Through Extraordinary Times 1 CNE

Ronda Conger, an award-winning author and highly acclaimed national speaker, is vice president of CRH Homes, and has flourished in a male-dominated industry for 30 years. She will speak on inspirational leadership through extraordinary times.

Ronda Conger

Business woman, professional speaker, and author

12:45 pm - 1:00 pm

Closing

Please note: The schedule and events listed in this agenda are subject to change. We recommend checking back closer to the event for any updates or adjustments.

The speakers were outstanding and very knowledgeable of the topics at hand. The topics were engaging and relevant. — 2017 attendee