The Virginia Nurses Association and Foundation's 2026 Spring Conference, Embracing the Power of Nurses™, will bring together nursing leaders, frontline clinicians, educators,
and nursing students from across Virginia to explore how nurses are shaping the future of healthcare and redefining the public image of nursing. Participants will gain practical strategies to strengthen leadership capacity, amplify their professional
voice, and translate inspiration into meaningful action.
COMING SOON: Click the button below to view Embracing the Power of Nurses™ on-demand! On-demand sessions will be available approximately 10 days (May 11) after the live air date.
VNA & VNF Events Code of Conduct Click here
to read VNA & VNF's Code of Conduct.
Technical Support Tips & Help Desk
If you are experiencing issues, you can:
Call a staff member at 804-282-1808 ext. 1
We will do our best to assist!
We strongly encourage all participants to switch from 'Top Chat' in YouTube on the upper left side of the chat box to 'Live Chat' so that you are seeing the most recent chat comments come in!
Please note that in order to participate in YouTube chat, you will need to login to YouTube with your Google Mail email account or you can
create a new Google Mail account. You DO NOT need any type of login to simply watch the conference live.
Please call our support line above if you are experiencing issues!
The Effect of Gamification on Retention of Fall Risk Education Shreya Patel, RN
& Teshawna McMullen, RN, Riverside Doctors' Hospital Williamsburg
Integrated Behavioral Health in Pediatric Primary Care: A Care Manager Toolkit Julianne
Heyde, MSN, FNP-BC, DNP Student, University of Virginia
Triage Transformed: Enhancing Accuracy, Consistency, and Patient Flow Serena McReynolds,
RN, BSN, CPEN, TCRN & Rebecca McCoy, MSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN, Inova Health System
Understanding the Perceived Needs and Challenges in Behavioral Health Crisis Response in Albemarle County, VA: A Pilot Qualitative Study Annaliese Meistrich, Nursing Student, University of Virginia School of Nursing
AI as a Coach Andrea Reed, DNP, MSN, RN, Mary Falk, M.Ed., MSN, RN, CCRN, &
Mary Murigi, BSCN, MPH (RH), PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University
CDU-ED New Graduate Program with Mentorship Beverly Goyne, DNP, RN, CNE &
Ginny Hood, BSN, RN, VCU Health
Zero Harm is Not an Accident: A Decade Without a CAUTI Through Nurse-Led Culture Angela Romero, MBA, BSN, RN & Stephanie Lockhart-Hayes, MSN, RN, PCCN, Riverside Health System
The Impact of Customized Alarm Sounds on Reducing Alarm Fatigue in ICU Nurses Abigail Kendrick, Nursing Student, Elizabeth Dunkum, Nursing Student, & Carly Harris, Nursing Student, University of Lynchburg
T-60: Improving Pre-Incision Antibiotic Timing for High-Risk Total Joint Patients Through Perianesthesia Nurse-Led Situation Awareness Marcus Cueno, BSN, RN, CAPA, CPN, Inova Health System
From Role Ambiguity to Role Ownership: Empowering Nurses to Lead Pediatric Behavioral Health Care Management Melanie Vella, MSN, CPNP-PC, DNP Student, University of Virginia School of Nursing
Nurse-Led De-implementation of Bed Alarms: Advancing Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Laura McNicholl, MS, RN, CNS, BC, MEDSURG-BC, PMGT-BC, GERO-BC & Jennifer McCaughey, MSN, BS, RNC-MNN, NPD-BC, Inova Health System
Reimagining Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project Through Academic-Practice Partnerships Sarah Franklin, MSN, FNP-BC, DNP Student, University of Virginia School of Nursing
Presentations Click the links below to download the available pdfs. Rapid Fire presentations are provided below the keynote addresses and general sessions.
Please note that not all presenters may be permitted to share their slides.
Conference Presentations & Handouts
Day 1 Keynote Address | Empowering the Profession: Necessary Attributes for Effective Impact Tim Porter-O'Grady, DM, EdD, ScD(h), APRN, FAAN, FACCWS, GCNS-BC, CWCN, CFCN view here!
Day 2 Keynote Address | The Power of Nurses During These Challenging Times Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN view here!
General Session | The Future of Nursing: Thriving in an AI-Enabled Healthcare World Amy McCarthy K. McCarthy, DNP, RNC-MNN, NE-BC, CENP view here!
General Session | Bridging the Gap: How Leading Multigenerational Teams Shapes Culture in Healthcare Priscilla Meyers, APRN, MSN, NNP-BC, ANLC-N, ACC view here!
Handout | Key Takeaways from Bridging the Gap: How Leading Multigenerational Teams Shapes Culture in Healthcare Priscilla Meyers, APRN, MSN, NNP-BC, ANLC-N, ACC view here!
Article | Scheduling Touchpoints with Your Generation Z Nurses view here!
Article | Engaging and Retaining Gen Z Nurses: Trends and Strategies view here!
Closing Session | This is Our Moment: Nurses Shaping the Future of Healthcare Dr. Bradley Goettl, DNP, DHA, RN, FNP-C, FAAN view here!
Rapid Fire Presentations
PUSHING Nursing Students Towards Active-Learning in Community Health: An Exemplar of Advocacy in Practice Holly Tenaglia DNP, AGCNS-BC, Laila Gilliam, BSN Student, & Kathryn Haines, MUPP, Old Dominion University Ellmer School of Nursing view here!
Alpha-gal in the Operating Room: Recognizing and Managing a Hidden Perioperative Risk Brenda Acham, MSN, RN, CNOR & Zina Drott, BSN, RN IV, CNOR, Inova Health System view here!
The Nursing Research Scavenger Hunt: A Community-Focused Case Challenge Jonathan Romero, DNP, RN, LSA & Tinnikka Robertson-Jones, DNP, RN, CNE, ACNS-BC, Old Dominion University Ellmer School of Nursing view here!
Unleashing the Power of Nurses: Transforming Care Through Virtual Innovation Danyette Fisher, BSN, RN, PCCN, Amy Taylor, MSN, RN, CNML, & Mirna Medina-Gonzalez, BSN, RN, Sentara Health view here!
Improving Door-to-Needle Times Through Nurse-Driven Workflow Redesign and Enhanced Telestroke Integration Victoria Davis, BSN, RN, CEN & Kristen Reimers, BSN, RN, CEN, Riverside Doctors' Hospital Williamsburg view here!
Coffee & Coaching: Human-Centered Leadership That Amplifies Nurses' Voices Angela Romero, MBA, BSN, RN & Michael Georges, BSN, RN, CMSRN, Riverside Health System view here!
Empowering Perioperative Nurses Through Nurse-Drive Competency-Based Vascular Practice Model Kristina Scolforo, BSN, RN, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center view here!
Nursing Continuing Professional Development Disclosures
The Virginia Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
There are no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those with the ability to control the content of this activity.
Participants in the VNA/VNF 2026 Spring Conference: Embracing the Power of Nurses™ can earn up to 12.5 contact hours.
Credit will be awarded commensurate with participation in the program and with the completion of an evaluation.
This activity is being
jointly provided by the Virginia Nurses Association and Virginia Nurses Foundation.
Continuing Education Survey
The continuing education survey for VNA & VNF's 2026 Spring Conference, Embracing the Power of Nurses™, will be made available here on Wednesday, April 23 around 4:15pm. This information will
also be sent to your conference registration email after the program concludes if you registered individually. If you are participating through an organizational sign up, you can complete the continuing education survey
below or reach out to your organization for more information.
Whether you're a new staff nurse, a seasoned professional, a public health nurse, an academician or student, the Virginia Nurses Association is a place where your voice can be heard and we can collectively elevate the
profession of nursing.
Becoming a VNA member is more than a professional choice—it's a statement of your dedication to excellence in nursing. When you join VNA, you also become a member of the American Nurses Association, gaining access to the benefits of both organizations for one membership rate. Enjoy exclusive resources, career development tools, and a vibrant professional network. Benefit from member-only discounts on conferences, our online community, and special chapter events. Join a powerful voice advocating for the nursing profession and influence healthcare policies. Enhance your skills, broaden your horizons, and make a significant impact. Join VNA today and transform your career with unparalleled support and benefits!
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