CRD Associates joins the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses for their annual meeting in West Palm Beach, FL.
While many spent the first weekend of August heading to Florida’s beaches, approximately 500 rehabilitation nurses gathered in West Palm Beach for the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses’ (ARN) Annual Conference. Every year, ARN hosts an annual event for its members that includes presentations, an exhibition hall for members to showcase their research and innovative ideas, and a wonderful spirit of comradery.
I had the pleasure of joining CRD Senior Vice President Jeremy Scott to present our session, Health Policy and Advocacy: Using Your Voice to Make Change. We explored the critical intersection of advocacy, health policy, and rehabilitation nursing, while updating ARN members on key federal legislative priorities moving through Congress.
We are at a pivotal moment for rehabilitation nurses. The profession faces significant policy challenges, ranging from the removal (and subsequent re-addition) of “nursing” from the definition of a professional degree in the Department of Education regulations on student loan borrowing limits, to the Office of the Management and Budget (OMB) proposal that threatens future grant funding for nursing workforce programs. Many rehabilitation nurses are looking to get more involved in advocacy, both for their patients and their profession. It was a true privilege to demystify the latest Congressional actions and policymaking process and to give ARN members the tools to become more engaged and effective advocates.
Personally, I was excited to learn more about the rehabilitation nursing profession and the important role (and impact) rehabilitation nurses play in patient care. Prior to our presentation, I attended a session on advocating for patients, which was a great reminder that nurses are already advocates every day. This reinforced that nurses already possess the skills that translate well to advocate before policymakers. I also attended a session on new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, which provided a deeper understanding of the work rehabilitation nurses are involved in on a daily basis.
Jeremy and I were honored to attend the conference where we had the opportunity to speak with many nurses who shared their inspiring stories about what led them to pursue careers in rehabilitation nursing. This conversation gave me a deeper appreciation for the unique skills and dedication required to work in the rehabilitation nursing field. One nurse I spoke to compared the rehabilitation specialty to others saying, “most nurses are there for your comfort, but rehabilitation nurses are there to push you toward your recovery.” These foundational conversations will be valuable to future advocacy efforts, as they helped me better understand who rehabilitation nurses are, what drives them in their work, and why they are passionate about advocating for their patients and profession.