SUMMER EDITION

SUMMER 2020

THE HOTLINE
Official Newsletter of the Florida Nursing Students Association

IN THIS EDITION:

FNSA CONVENTION 2020

CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

SOCIAL MEDIA DO'S + DON'TS

QUARANTINE STUDY TIPS

SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIPS

A NOTE FROM YOUR CORRESPONDING SECRETARY:

The Hotline is a way for you to have a voice in this organization! Simply submit an article,
paragraph, or even a small comment to infofnsa@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

- Jordan Hoprich
 SUMMER EDITION

CONVENTION 2020: GOING VIRTUAL

“ M a k i n g a D i f f e r e n c e : E x p l o r i n g t h e

P o s s i b i l i t i e s ”

October 22-24, 2020

$10 for members

$15 for nonmembers 

Board of Directors + more detailed information to come!

SUMMER EDITION
 SUMMER EDITION

A WORD FROM YOUR LEGISLATIVE CHAIR

WRITTEN BY: RYAN MORAN

Hello again!

As many of you may know, Florida will be holding its primary elections next month for a
multitude of offices down the ballot. On August 18th, each party will be holding its primary
elections for all 27 U.S. House of Representative seats from Florida, all 120 Florida House of
Representative seats, 20 of the 40 Florida Senate seats, and many local seats! Since Florida is
a closed-primary state, you will need to register with a party to vote for a candidate of that
same party to advance to the general election. To vote in the Democratic Party Primary, you
must be registered as a Democrat and to vote in the Republican Primary, you must be
registered as a Republican.

I recently spoke with Sam Coodley, who is a voting rights advocate for the American Civil
Liberties Union of Florida. He educated me on the difficulties college students in Florida
have faced in the past when it comes to ensuring their registrations are filled out correctly
so that their voices can be heard at the ballot box. He shared with me some great resources
that he wants all of Florida’s nursing students (and all college students in general) to see!

You can register online at this website: https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home

Here, you can check or change your registration status, party affiliation, polling station and
address so that you’ll be ready to vote on election day! The deadline to register to vote in the
August primary elections is July 20th! Mr. Coodley also emphasized the importance of
absentee voting and voting by mail to avoid COVID-19-related barriers on election day. It
takes only two minutes to fill out this form: https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/florida/
to receive your absentee ballot in the mail so that you can make your voice heard while
avoiding long lines and possible exposure to COVID-19. You will be able to choose whether
you will receive your ballot in the mail or if you will pick it up from your local supervisor of
elections office. If you plan on voting absentee or by mail, be sure to update all of your
registration information by July 20th! You can request a Vote-by-Mail Ballot until 5PM on
August 8th. Your ballot is due by 7PM on Election Day to your supervisor of elections office,
so it has to be turned in to the office or mailed out to the office by August 18th.

Please visit this site: https://www.aclufl.org/en/campaigns/vote-mail-florida

for step-by-step instructions on how to vote by mail in Florida. College students have their
ballots voided more than any other demographic in the state of Florida, so if you have any
questions about anything relating to registration, voting, voting deadlines, or your voting
rights and privileges, feel free to check out FAQs at the Campus Voters Project or reach out
to me directly.
 SUMMER EDITION

A WORD FROM YOUR LEGISLATIVE CHAIR: CONTINUED

That was a lot of information so far! We have a bit more to discuss...

While this year has provided many challenges for organizing and supporting legislative and
political causes that are important to our future nursing careers, it’s provided us with
newfound opportunities as well. In fact, engaging with legislators has never been easier than
it is right now! Most legislators and candidates for public office are just a zoom call away,
and many are using technology to proactively make themselves more accessible to their
constituents. This is why FNSA has the unique opportunity to interview candidates running
for office across the state of Florida covering various issues facing nursing students today.

Currently, my committee is compiling a list of candidates that people may be interested in

hearing from, and for a more complete list, we want to hear from you and your chapters!
If you have a candidate running for office in the state of Florida that you’d like to see
interviewed, let us know! We’ll reach out and do everything we can to open up a discussion –
just send me an email at fnsaregion2@gmail.com with your suggestion! Furthermore, please
send in any nursing, education, or healthcare-related question you’d like us to
ask the candidates!

While FNSA does not endorse candidates, FNA does! The Florida Nurses Political Action
Committee (FNPAC) is a bipartisan effort of Florida’s nurses to elect candidates from across
the political spectrum to the state legislature who demonstrate a commitment to advancing
important issues in nursing today. FNPAC conducts their own candidate interviews for the
general election after the primaries each election year, and they are currently putting
together this year’s candidate survey. FNPAC has graciously offered FSNA the opportunity to
add to their survey questionnaire by sending in our own questions! As I previously
mentioned, you can reach me at fnsaregion2@gmail.com with questions you would like
answered by candidates for the Florida legislature in November’s general election! I will pass
on all of your suggestions to FNPAC at their next board meeting as they finalize their
candidate survey and interview topics.

This was a long update jam-packed with new information, so feel free to email me with any
questions! If there’s one thing I’d like everyone to take away from this update, it’s to ensure
your voter registration is up-to-date by July 20th! Register here!
https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home
 
Thank you for your time,
 
Ryan Moran

Florida Nursing Students Association, Region 2 Director

Political Action Network Chair
Legislative Chair
University of North Florida-Jacksonville
 SUMMER EDITION

SOCIAL MEDIA DO'S + DON'TS FOR THE NURSING STUDENT

WRITTEN BY: JORDAN HOPRICH

Let's face it, pandemic or not, it's summer

time. Posting that photo of you and your
friends partaking in some...well...
"recreational" activities on the beach
seemed so harmless at the time, but it can
end up becoming a mini crisis in your
professional life. Employers look at your
social media to gain insight as to how you
portray yourself online. The way you, as a
future nurse, behave on the internet is a vital
component of your personal image and the
overall image of nursing.

If you're seriously questioning whether or

not to post the photo or comment, the
answer is probably no!

Remember: social media can be an

extremely positive tool as well! "Social media
is linked closely to a nurse’s professional
development across four domains of
nursing: clinical practice, academics,
administration, and research. In clinical
practice, nurses can access information in
real time, allowing unprecedented
accessibility of cutting-edge information"
(Green & Hope, 2010).

The next time you go to post, remember to

consider the implications of your actions. HERE ARE SOME QUICK TIPS
FOR KEEPING YOUR PROFILE
Nurses know that as professionals their
FUN, YET PROFESSIONAL.
actions (public and private) can be held
accountable to professional standards, so we
as nursing students must adopt these same
standards as we grow as future healthcare
professionals.

Green, B., & Hope, A. (2010). Promoting clinical competence using social media. Nurse Educator, 35(3), 127-129. doi:
10.1097/NNE.0b013e3181d9502b
 SUMMER EDITION

STUDY TIPS: QUARANTINE EDITION

WRITTEN BY: JORDAN HOPRICH

Having a tough time staying motivated in online courses?

Me too! Nursing school was certainly not meant to involve
solely remote instruction with no clinical experience. It
can feel discouraging at times to keep up with
assignments or find the energy to keep studying, so I have
shared some brief insights on how you can continue being
the stellar nursing student that you are.

I cannot stress this enough.. make a plan and set

realistic goals for your day / week!
Eliminate (as much as possible) distractions.  While we
may not be able to get away from family members or
roommates, place your phone on Do Not Disturb until
your scheduled study break.. you'll thank me later (:
Set up a study space near a window or something you
enjoy looking at
Take small, frequent breaks. I personally use the
Pomodoro Technique to study, and it has worked
wonders for me over the years! 
Drink plenty of water throughout the day - don't
overload on the caffeine, you'll most likely end up
crashing early on.. and that's hard to come back from!

Celebrate the small successes - don't get too

discouraged if you don't meet every single goal for the
day. Go outside for a walk/run, take a bath, whatever
your go-to relaxation method is. Then take note of
what still needs to be done and attack it tomorrow!
Eat as healthy as you can. Staying seated and focused
for most of the day can take a toll on your physical and
mental health. Make small, healthy snacks to enjoy
while studying or on your breaks. Prepping food
beforehand helps you avoid reaching for that quick
and easy bag of chips!
 SUMMER EDITION

SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIPS
WRITTEN BY: NICOLE PETRO