Wednesday, March 03, 2004

By Rebecca D’Amico, PR Intern

Wilmington, N.C. – The North Carolina Association of Nursing Students (NCANS) is holding its conference Nursing: An Ocean of Opportunities Thursday, March 4 through Saturday, March 6 at Shell Island Resort on Wrightsville Beach. The conference will feature keynote speaker, former NCAN President Dona Caine RN, MSN, CS. U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre will also speak.

The conference will bring schools, healthcare professionals and students from all over the state. The Community Health Project for the conference will be “Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness through Education.” Two UNCW students Kimberly McGuinness and Tracy Thielges, helped organize the conference and bring it to Wilmington, N.C. McGuinness is president of the NCANS, and Thielges is secretary.

Friday’s events include NCLEX review for nursing students from 8 to 11 a.m. and focus sessions from 12 to 5 p.m. Rep. McIntyre will speak on the importance of nurses in the healthcare system during the 11 a.m. lunch. On Saturday, NCLEX review will continue from 8 to 11 a.m. Focus sessions will run from 12 to 1 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. There will be an exhibit hall between sessions for students to explore the booths of visiting schools and healthcare professionals. Caine will speak during dinner to end the conference. For more information visit www.ncans.org.

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Note to the Media: For more information contact Kimberly McGuinness at 910/395-2409.