Hopkins Nurses Volunteer at ANCC National Magnet Conference
by Jennifer Walker
The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) was one of five Magnet hospitals in Maryland that co-hosted the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) National Magnet Conference, held at the Baltimore Convention Center from October 2-6, 2011. The event drew more than 7,500 nurses and nurse executives, the largest number in Magnet’s history, to celebrate the Magnet hospital recognition program and talk about best practices in nursing. “A lot of nurses’ work is very isolated, so it was wonderful to see thousands of nurses come together in the same area,” comments Neysa Ernst, MSN ’11, BS ’06, RN, a nurse clinician on Osler 4, president of the Maryland Nurses Association, and a four-day volunteer at the conference.
More than 120 JHH Department of Nursing staff volunteered at the conference to work as greeters, guides, ushers, facilitators and more, for a total of 700 hours of service. They also attended some of the 120 education sessions offered, which covered topics ranging from new knowledge, innovations, and improvements in nursing to exemplary professional practice.
Ron Wardrope, RN, CRN, a nurse clinician in radiology, made a connection to his work at a session about employee engagement. “The panelists said you had to get your staff to buy in to provide the best care, not only for patients but also for yourself and your co-workers,” he says. “It made me think of the PROPEL (Passion, Relationships, Optimism, Proactivity, Energy, Legacy) group that is active on many nursing units at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.”
Ernst commends the support JHH provides to participate in professional activities and encourages other nurses to get involved in national conferences, such as Magnet. “When I volunteer at these events, I always find that I have a return on my investment, whether it’s meeting new contacts or learning about a new piece of legislation,” she says. “I really see nursing from a much larger perspective.”
