Goshen College nurses to discuss ‘the art of nursing’ during annual mock convention Feb. 8

GOSHEN, Ind. – During their 37th annual Nursing Mock Convention on Friday, Feb. 8, Goshen College nursing students and faculty will debate and vote on some of the more controversial subjects in the field of nursing – including voluntary active euthanasia, mandatory immunization for attending school and nurses leading by example in combating obesity – giving the students real-world experience outside of a hospital setting.

The day-long, on-campus convention, beginning at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, is designed to help students tackle tough yet relevant topics in the field of nursing, with this year’s theme being: “The art of nursing: Transforming practice.” Lynn Canal Kennell, a 1976 Goshen College alumna from Eureka, Ill., and mother of senior nursing major Stephanie Kennell, will give the keynote address to begin the convention, which will be held in the College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall. Kennell is a nursing professor at the Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University. The day’s activities are open to the public, and they end by 5 p.m.

“Nurses are facing increasing challenges in the profession today as the roles of nurses have altered tremendously in the past few decades,” said senior nursing major Courtney Welborn, of Dewey, Ill., who is executive director of this year’s mock convention board. “Our hope is that this year’s theme will trigger thoughts and discussion about how the nursing profession has changed as well as facilitating further learning in regards to what it means to be transformers of practice in the world of nursing.”

Following Kennell’s morning keynote address, the convention will be opened for debate on the three resolutions submitted by groups of students: voluntary active euthanasia, mandatory immunization for attending school and nurses leading by example in combating obesity by lowering their body mass index. Students, following parliamentary procedure, will take turns carefully and thoughtfully expressing their varying opinions to the convention chair.

Associate Professor of Nursing Mervin Helmuth, who helped initiate the mock convention program in 1973, said, “The purpose of the debate is to make students take a stand,” he said. “It has less to do with getting a resolution passed, and more that students are willing to get up and speak their piece. In this way they get involved in the bigger gray areas of the issue and don’t get lost in the details of black and white.”

The resolutions serve as a stimulus to the students to make their convictions heard. “The idea is not only to present nursing students with new ideas, but also to engage them in a process on the issues and then follow up on them by talking to legislators to affect change. This is the same thing we do with the American Nurses’ Association,” said Helmuth, who formerly served as president of the Indiana State Board of Nursing.

Another purpose of the mock convention is to offer students the opportunity to meet people from health-care organizations. Representatives of many local organizations come to observe the convention and advertise in hopes of hiring new nurses, much like at professional nursing conventions.

Goshen College's annual Mock Convention is an activity that is unique to the college and significantly contributes to student participation in professional nursing organizations. Goshen College nursing alumni have a 41 percent membership in their professional organizations compared with the national rate of 20 percent.

In 1953, Goshen College graduated its first class of nurses, after starting the first bachelor's of science in nursing program in Indiana in 1949. In the years since, more than 1,600 graduates have responded to the call to nursing by earning a bachelor's degree at Goshen College.

Editors: For more information about this release or to arrange an interview, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.