Colorado State University-Pueblo will host the 2016 Colorado Student Nurses Association Spring Convention March 5 at 8 a.m. in the Occhiato University Center Ballroom.
Marina Pacheco, a senior nursing major who is also the President of the Southern Colorado Association of Nursing Students will be attending the event.
“I’m looking forward to the networking and professional opportunities that attending a CSNA convention offers. This is an excellent opportunity for students to network with nurses from across the state and to help make the transition from student to professional nurse,” Pacheco said.
The keynote speaker of the event is Kelley Johnson, Miss Colorado 2015. Johnson currently represents the Miss Colorado Organization statewide and across the country. Johnson has been featured on television shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Dr. Oz Show. After performing a monologue for the talent portion of the 2016 Miss America Pageant, Johnson placed 2nd runner up in the nationwide pageant.
“She is the ICU nurse who rocked the nursing nation with her monologue about nursing at the 2016 Miss America Pageant,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco believes that the convention is a positive experience for student nurses.
“The CSNA Spring Convention is an exciting opportunity for nursing and pre-nursing students in Colorado to explore career and leadership opportunities,” Pacheco said. “Students will also be exposed to issues that the nursing profession faces and will be privileged to network with student nurses and professional nurses from across the state.”
The convention will unite nursing students and professional nurses from across the state. Each college or university sets different requirements to be entered in each nursing program.The CSU-Pueblo Nursing program accepts 60 students a year into their program.
Although with the nursing program, there are extracurricular clubs. The CSU-Pueblo Southern Colorado Association of Nursing Students currently has eight members.
Pacheco credits her goal to becoming a nurse to her fascination of the human body.
“It was a very conscious decision for me to become a nurse. I’ve always been fascinated by the science aspect of the human body and I love the medical field. In fact, I came to school with the intent of becoming a doctor,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco believes that nurses play a critical role in health care.
“It wasn’t until I started volunteering at a hospital that I realized the crucial role that a nurse holds within the health care team. They are the eyes, ears and voice of their patients. Life can bring on some horrible and tough situations,” Pacheco said.
“In the mists of that darkness, someone needs to find even the smallest shred of light. That someone is a nurse. I know I can do that; I want to be that light,” she added.
The CSU-Pueblo senior also believes the experience of being a nurse can be rewarding but challenging experience.
“Every day is challenging yet so rewarding. You make it through every day feeling satisfied because you know that you made a difference, however large or small.”
More information about the 2016 Spring CSNA Convention can be found at http://www.coloradostudentnurses.org/convention.html.
