NASN's 44th Annual Conference to be held in San Francisco, California from June 23-26, 2012.

We hope to see many Virginia school nurses at the conference. Please visit the NASN Website www.nasn.org for information and registration.

Congratulations go to Virginia school nurses who helped in making the NASN 43rd Annual Conference a success. In collaboration with the Maryland, District of Columbia and West Virginia affiliates, the Virginia Association co-hosted the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) 43rd Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. from June 29 - July 3, 2011. Thanks go to the many hard-working volunteers and participants who supported this conference!

According to Kenny Lull, NASN Manager of Communications, over 1,100 school nurses and school health advocates participated in this event which strengthened leadership skills and addressed health concerns affecting the all of our students. This conference in the Nation's Capital provided the opportunity to hear from Federal Administration officials and discuss NASN's legislative priorities. The Virginia's Delegation consisted of 14 nurses. They participated in a "Trip to the Hill," that was facilitated by Mary Louise Embrey, NASN Director of Government Affairs. Barbara Yow, NASN Director, guided our delegation in working with Members of Congress. The two key messages that were communicated were: school nurses are making a positive impact on the health of students, and they vote.

Lull noted that conference attendees included national and international representatives who participated in the poster presentations, exhibitions, recognitions, and over 80 breakout sessions. Notable plenary speakers included Beatrice Hanson, Principal Deputy Director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice, Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Kristen Harper, Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education. School nurse attendees furthered their specialty practice through progressive workshops about outreach strategies, new tools, and social media in such areas as public health and immunization awareness. They left the conference armed with the latest research on school nursing, and connected to ongoing efforts to promote health and wellness within the school community.

We hope to see many Virginia school nurses at the 44th NASN Annual Conference in San Francisco, California, from June 23 – 26, 2012.