Earlier this month, nursing students from Fairfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies attended the 69th National Student Nurses’ Association Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the conference, Margaret Breitenbach ’22, Clare Calabro ’22, Danielle Doleva ’22, Kathryn Magennis ’22, Meghan Pagliuca ’22, Aidan Phillips ’22, and Lindsey Spencer ’22, alongside Assistant Professor Mary Murphy, PhD, APRN, FNP, presented original research to an audience of more than 3,000 nursing students, faculty, and nursing leaders from across the country. The nursing students who were selected to attend the conference are all seniors completing their capstone and transition clinical experiences.

Calabro presented her senior capstone project, “Effectiveness of Distraction Techniques to Treat Pain, Fear, and Anxiety in Pediatric Patients.” The other Egan School students presented research on aspects of the healthcare industry ranging from improving parent education to the importance of spirituality in the neonatal ICU.

In addition to presenting their research, the Egan School students met representatives from other nursing schools, attended empowering speeches and panel discussions delivered by prominent medical professionals, and participated in a variety of networking opportunities.  

“My favorite part of the conference was the two plenary sessions we attended," said Breitenbach. "One session presented the documentary 5B where we learned about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It was inspiring to see the nurses on unit 5B come together and care for people with all of the unknowns about this disease... The second plenary was a panel of nurses with varying backgrounds and years of experiences. It was great to hear from many perspectives and get advice for starting as a new graduate nurse.”