The BYU College of Nursing was well-represented at the recent annual Western Institute of Nursing Conference on April 17-20 in Salt Lake City. Seventeen BYU students shared their research and participated in the event. Students were accompanied by the faculty who mentored them throughout their projects. In all, thirteen faculty members from the college participated: some presenting research and others moderating breakout sessions.
BYU College of Nursing faculty member, Dr. Corinna Trujillo Tanner mentored an undergraduate student team as they presented four different posters with recommendations for improving care of older adults who reside in long term care, specifically in the areas of bathing, repetitiveness, combativeness, and depression. Dr. Trujillo Tanner commented, “The students were also crucial in organizing the Gerontological Nursing Special Interest Groups and will be joining my council for that group.”
Fifth-semester nursing student, Otavio Tobias was invited by Dr. Trujillo Tanner to attend the conference. He expressed appreciation that she seeks to provide opportunities that will elevate her students’ experience in both nursing school and in their professional careers. He commented, “Because in the past she has given me opportunities like this, I knew [the Conference] would be amazing.” Otavio is on the College of Nursing’s Belonging Council, chaired by Dr. Trujillo Tanner. During the WIN Conference, he joined a regional group discussion to brainstorm ideas to increase belonging in nursing education. He observed, “I just was very grateful that, in Jesus Christ, we have a structure and a template for how we can create belonging.” He continued, “[During the discussion] I felt very strongly that I needed to mention that the reason we value belonging so much [at BYU] is because we strive to have Christlike-love towards everyone and to emulate the love that He gives us.”
Graduate student, Jessica Clark (FNP ’24) presented her project: “Improving Patient Medical Adherence in a Community Health Clinic” as both a poster presentation and in a breakout session. Reflecting on the experience she said, “I enjoyed meeting and learning from people of various backgrounds. I especially enjoyed a breakout session for integrative nursing with complementary therapies, where I made some great contacts and was given great information related to areas of health I am interested in.”
Another member of BYU’s College of Nursing faculty, Dr. Christine Platt presented her collaborative research about the inclusion of children with complex health issues, as well as the inclusion of siblings to children with chronic illness. Dr. Platt remarked, “The conference was a wonderful way to disseminate information, network, and enjoy other nurse scholars as they visited our beautiful state.”
BYU College of Nursing was pleased to help sponsor the conference and hosted a reception on Thursday evening for alumni and friends of the college.
The Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) is one of four regional research organizations in the United States. Members include individual researchers, clinicians, educators, healthcare organizations, students, and academic institutions such as BYU College of Nursing, Intermountain Healthcare, Idaho State University, University of Utah, University of Washington, Weber State University, Westminster University, University of Hawaii, University of Washington, and several others. The mission of WIN is to “connect a diverse community of nurses in the West to improve health through excellence in nursing research, practice, and education.” The annual conference provides opportunities to network, share emerging research, and learn from others.
