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Welcome to the 2011 Wisconsin Nurses Association/Wisconsin Student Nurses Association Annual Meeting and Conference!
The theme of this year's conference is "Nursing: Shaping the delivery of Health Care." We are excited to have the 2011 meeting in Green Bay and hope you plan to attend. The conference planning committee has prepared an exciting program that will energize and challenge you in whatever area of nursing you practice. In addition, there is always time planned for fun and relaxation, and this year we will have Lambeau Field as one of the venues, so...wear your favorite Packer gear on Saturday for "Green and Gold" day and celebrate the 2011 Super Bowl victory!
October is also the first anniversary of the release of the Robert Wood Johnson/Institute of Medicine report on the Future of Nursing (www.iom.edu/nursing). One of the recommendations in the report is to:
"Expand opportunities for nurses to lead and diffuse collaborative improvement efforts: Private and public funders, health care organizations, nursing education programs, and nursing associations should expand opportunities for nurses to lead and manage collaborative efforts with physicians and other members of the health care team to conduct research and to redesign and improve practice environments and health systems."
The 2011 WNA/WSNA Annual Convention program will provide opportunities for you to increase your knowledge in leading change and improving practice within the systems you work so we can collectively meet the call to action in the 2010 IOM Report - The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.
On Friday, October 28th, Dr. Angela Barron McBride, Distinguished Professor-University Dean Emerita, Indiana University School of Nursing, will provide the keynote presentation, "Leadership and the 21st Century Nurse." In her view, leadership includes personal development, attention to meeting organizational goals and the commitment to transformative change. She will provide her "top 10" list of opportunities as we collectively shape the future.
Also on Friday, Amy Garcia, MSN, RN, CAE, Chief Programs Officer of the American Nurses Association, will speak on the topic of nursing's future and the ANA strategic plan. Amy will bring a national perspective and provide us with the latest developments from the perspective of ANA and discuss the opportunities we have on the state level.
On Saturday morning we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wisconsin Nurse Practice Act with a presentation by Tom Neumann, MS, RN, Assistant Professor at Viterbo University. Tom will provide some history and recognize past and present State Board of Nursing members. (Note: The Nurse Practice Act 100th anniversary is two years after the 100th anniversary of WNA so you can be sure WNA was part of making it happen!) We cannot move forward without an understanding of our past.
The other breakout sessions will also provide numerous opportunities for advancing your leadership skills and practice knowledge and of course there will be lots of time for networking-meeting new and old friends.
I look forward to seeing you in Green Bay October 27-29!
Carolyn Krause PhD, RN President, WNA | 
