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| Fall Conference |
 2025 Fall ConferenceNovember 14 & 15, 2025Join the Virginia Nurses Association and Foundation for a dynamic two-day summit in Portsmouth, Virginia focused on advancing the nursing profession through workforce sustainability, innovation, and professional growth. The 2025 Nurse Staffing Summit brings together nurse leaders, frontline staff, and educators across diverse nursing settings, from acute care to community health, academia, and beyond, to address today’s most urgent challenges and share practical, forward-thinking solutions for tomorrow. Through interactive sessions and collaborative networking, the Summit will explore strategies to a wide range of topics, including:
Whether you're a new graduate, an experienced nurse leader, or nursing academia, our 2025 Nurse Staffing Summit will provide you with valuable insights, tools, and connections to inspire action and advance the future of nursing. Join us in Portsmouth, Virginia November 14–15 and be part of the movement shaping the future of care.
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Address
425 Water St, Portsmouth, Virginia, USA, 23704
Cancellations & Refunds
Requests for cancellations must be made via email by 11:59pm Wednesday, November 5 with the subject line "Cancellation" sent to events@virginianurses.com. Refunds are subject to
review. For questions, please email events@virginianurses.com.
Substitutions
Substitutions are encouraged. Please make the request via email with the subject line "Substitution" to events@virginianurses.com and
include the name of the registered party and the name of the replacement attendee.
The deadline to register is 11:59pm Wednesday, November 5. Same day on-site registration will be available at the conference location.
7:00am - 8:30am | Continental Breakfast & Exhibit Hall Opening
8:00am - 8:15am | Day 1 Opening Remarks
Keynote Address | The Power of Nurses: Strategic and Sustainable Staffing Solutions
Jennifer S. Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, American Nurses Association President
This keynote session will explore the state of the nursing workforce and examine a broad range of factors affecting nurses’ satisfaction and organizational staffing levels. Strategies and solutions will be highlighted that nurses and organizations can implement to improve workplace environments and achieve appropriate staffing.
Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MSN, MPH, MS, MSW, BS, RN
In June 2024, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released, Ending Unequal Treatment: Strategies to Achieve Equitable Health Care and Optimal Health for All – a twenty-year follow-up to the original 2003 Unequal Treatment report. Ending Unequal Treatment offers a comprehensive, deeply researched, evidence-based review of health and healthcare inequities within the US healthcare system. The report explores the barriers that continue to weaken and undermine efforts to achieve more equitable health care, and it presents recommendations for future actions that, taken together, would achieve a more effective and sustained approach to addressing the problem, with implications for the nursing profession.
This presentation will provide an overview of the Ending Unequal Treatment report and will highlight what the findings mean for nurses and other health professionals, and their role in eliminating health and healthcare inequities.
Christopher R. Friese, PhD, RN
In this session, Dr. Friese will present original research findings and posit solutions to optimize the nursing workforce. He will conclude the presentation with strategies for policy and public engagement on this timely issue.
Enjoy lunch then visit the Exhibit Hall to chat with our exhibitors and sponsors!
Harrison Hayes, Executive Director Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority
Yvette Dorsey, DNP, MSN, RN, Director of the Nursing Workforce Center
Join us for an engaging session introducing the newly established Virginia Nursing Workforce Center and its mission to address Virginia’s nursing shortage through innovative strategies and evidence-informed solutions. The session will highlight how the Center plans to build a sustainable and diverse nursing workforce, create innovative models of nursing education and practice, strengthen education pathways, and retain and engage nurses through collaboration and strategic partnerships. Attendees will gain insight into the Center’s role in shaping policy, driving workforce solutions, and empowering nurses across the commonwealth, while leaving inspired with actionable ideas to strengthen Virginia’s nursing workforce.
Explore rapid-fire presentations that highlight nurses' commitment to advancing nurse staffing solutions and advancing the profession across various healthcare settings.
Check back soon!
*This is a members-only networking event.
Check back soon!
Keynote Address | The Emotionally Intelligent Nurse: New Insights for Nurse Retention and High Performance
BOOK SIGNING | 9:45am - 10:00am
Dr. Mitchell Kusy, Consultant, Researcher, and Organizational Psychologist
We have all heard the term 'emotional intelligence' when referring to nurses who have savvy skills to build and maintain relationships. But that’s only part of the story. Emotional intelligence is an ability to recognize the meaning of emotions, their relationships, and to positively manage emotions for reasoning and problem solving. This includes improving nursing practice to impact team performance and patient care. Isn’t this exactly what high performance nursing is all about?! In this fun, high-spirited keynote address, organizational psychologist and HWI consultant, Dr. Mitch Kusy, will share top practices of emotional intelligence through the nursing lens. Mitch brings exciting research on emotional intelligence to life in energizing ways. Participants will discover why nurses who are emotionally intelligent find greater satisfaction in their work—presenting a unique way to address the nursing shortage in our midst! Sharing the most recent evidence-based research with pizzazz, Mitch will demonstrate the power of emotional intelligence on nursing practice. The results? Improved personal well-being, team performance, and the overall patient experience.
Holly Carpenter, BSN, RN, Senior Policy Advisory, American Nurses Association
This session will describe nurse well-being programs and resources offered by the American Nurses Enterprise, with a special emphasis on nurse fatigue prevention and mitigation. Access and utilization of these items will be explored in detail. Personal stories and evidence-based practical actions to bolster nurse wellness, safety, and rest will be discussed.
Join the Central Virginia Nurses Honor Guard and the Nurse Honor Guard of Southeastern Virginia or a moving tribute in remembrance of nurses we have lost. This special ceremony honors their life of service, devotion to the profession, and the compassionate care they provided throughout their careers. Through this presentation, we celebrate their legacy and pay respect to the enduring impact they have left on the nursing community
Deb Zimmermann, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
During this session, explore how nurses make a lasting difference within their organizations, across the profession, and in the lives of those they serve. Drawing on national insights and frontline experiences, this session will highlight how nurses who are grounded in compassion, connection, and courage fuel innovation, drive outcomes, and shape the future of healthcare.
Objective: Participants will be able to articulate how nurses harness compassion, connection, and courage to influence outcomes, drive innovation, and strengthen human connection across care settings, organizations, and the broader healthcare system.
The Virginia Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Participants in the VNA/VNF 2025 Fall Conference: Nurse Staffing Summit can earn up to 10.75 contact hours. Credit will be awarded commensurate with participation in the program with the completion of an evaluation.
This activity is being jointly provided by the Virginia Nurses Association and Virginia Nurses Foundation.
Sponsor or Exhibit in Just a Few Clicks!
Click the portfolio on the left to view the sponsor &
exhibitor options for our 2025 events!
As a sponsor, we offer the opportunity to showcase your corporate social responsibility, increase brand awareness, and build a positive image within your community. With your sponsorship contribution, we can continue to fund critical
programs and services, as well as raise awareness of our mission and impact.
There are a variety of sponsorship options to fit your organization's needs! Top sponsoring organizations are also highlighted in Virginia
Nurses Today (circulation 150,000) and VNA's members-only News Brief. These two publications boast an open rate of greater than 50%! Certain sponsorships are limited to a single organization so don't wait!
Sponsor & Exhibitor Questions?
CONTACT
Linda McKay, Sponsor Engagement & Office Manager
Virginia Nurses Association & Foundation
lmckay@virginianurses.com
Gold Sponsor
Rapid Fire Presentation & Celebration of Leadership Sponsor
(Hover over each image to read their bios!)
The Virginia Nurses Association and Virginia Nurses Foundation invite dynamic individuals and teams to share their innovative approaches in addressing the pressing challenges facing nursing practice today. We're seeking rapid fire presenters to showcase best practices focused on strengthening workforce sustainability, promoting professional growth, and advancing innovative solutions to modern healthcare challenges. We seek engaging presentations that demonstrate practical tools, successful programs, nurse led innovations, and transformative ideas that can be replicated or scaled across nursing settings. We want to hear from you!
Join us in-person in Portsmouth, Virginia November 14-15, 2025, at our Nurse Staffing Summit and contribute to the dialogue on reshaping the nursing landscape. Selected presenters will have the opportunity to provide a 5-minute rapid fire live presentation at the conference. This is your chance to showcase your ideas and share your knowledge with other passionate healthcare professionals. Whether you're embedded in acute care, public health, long-term care, ambulatory care, academia, or any other nursing domain, your perspective is invaluable.
Share your presentation idea by August 8, 2025 by completing our Rapid Fire Presenter Application form and sharing:
The Staffing Summit Review Team will review all submissions and notify accepted presenters by September 5, 2025.
Important Dates
Who Can Submit
Individuals or interprofessional teams committed to advancing nursing practice and culture are encouraged to submit if
they have a best practice related to:
Please note, presentations intended solely for promoting commercial products or services or not related to the conference theme will not be considered.
11/14/2025 » 11/15/2025
2025 Fall Conference: Nurse Staffing Summit
11/15/2025
2025 VNF Gala