Nearly 200 students representing 92 schools in 38 states across the nation attended the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) 2017 Student Policy Summit in March, including two Frontier Nursing University (FNU) students, Mai-Lin Rollon and Chloe Haney.

The AACN Student Policy Summit was a three-day conference held in Washington, DC, open to baccalaureate and graduate nursing students enrolled at an AACN member institution. Up to four students per institution were invited. Those in attendance were immersed in didactic program sessions focused on the federal policy process and nursing’s role in professional advocacy.

The students heard from an array of nursing and healthcare policy experts, including Linda McConnell, Chief Nursing Officer of the Veterans Health Administration, and Dr. Patricia Grady, Director of the National Institute of Nursing Research. Students also accompanied AACN member deans on more than 125 Congressional office visits (from over 40 states and the District of Columbia) to advocate for nursing education and research, as well as policies that would improve patient care through nursing practice.

The FNU community is thankful for organizations like the AACN that encourage our students to think about health care advocacy from a federal level.