Before the COVID-19 pandemic affected our region, IUSON BL students and faculty participated in two very important professional development and community-focused events.
February 7-8, 2020
IUSON BL had a tremendous time hosting the 2020 Indiana Association of Nursing Students (IANS) Convention here in Bloomington. Three hundred and fifty students from nursing schools across Indiana attended the event.
Managed by student nurses, for student nurses, IANS is Indiana’s premier professional organization for nursing students.
The theme for the IANS 2020 Convention was Selflessness and Self-Care: Finding Your Balance. IUSON BL Associate Dean Mary Lynn Davis-Ajami provided opening remarks before each of the convention’s two days, which offered a jam-packed agenda featuring self-care workshops, ATI and NCLEX strategies, Naloxone certification, a New Nurses Panel, and much more.
The wildly-popular Nurse Blake (aka Blake Lynch, a registered nurse and social media instructor with 400,000+ followers on Instagram and 650,000+ followers on Facebook) was our keynote speaker. The IANS convention came complete with a career expo that featured over 30 exhibits by such well-known names as the Mayo Clinic, Eskenazi Health, IU Health, Nurses Inspire Nurses and, of course, the IU School of Nursing.
“This past convention was pretty great,” says IANS Vice President Erin Dubin. “IU was a great venue, and everyone enjoyed themselves.” Not only that, but Nurse Blake took our graduating seniors out to Kilroy’s for a post-convention night out on the town!
Congratulations to IANS and its student Board of Directors for planning such an amazing event. We were proud to be your host.
February 20, 2020
IUSON BL was also very proud to take part in the American Heart Association’s 2020 Go Red for Women luncheon. Our participation in the event was led by accelerated 2nd degree student Renata Hendrickson (featured as this edition’s I Am an IU Nurse profile; pictured here with IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie). Renata has served the past two years as a committee member for the Go Red for Women campaign, which is chaired by her mother and business partner Ann Harrison. “I approached Associate Dean Davis-Ajami about having student involvement with the event,” says Renata, “and she was thrilled with the idea.”
Under the supervision of IUSON BL Lecturer Dena Klineline, students administered pulse oximetry and blood pressure screenings, while Dena ran blood sugar tests. Students worked 30-minute shifts so they could watch the day’s programming, which included a keynote address by IU Health Cardiologist Dr. Saki Miwa and especially moving remarks by young Nikki Pavlopoulous, a recent heart transplant recipient.
The luncheon also featured a silent auction with IUSON BL donating a gift basket complete with mug, IUSON red fleece pullover, and two kinds of coffee from Needmore Coffee in Bloomington. Indiana University’s First Lady, Laurie Burns McRobbie, emceed the event.
Renata hopes to see IUSON BL’s continued involvement with the AHA luncheon next year. “It’s a great experience. IU students have red scrubs, so they already have the right outfit for the event,” she smiles. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of women in America, and we were happy to join Renata, Dena, and our students in doing our part to make this fundraising event such a success. #BtownGoesRed
IU School of Nursing
Bloomington
