This past weekend, the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) held its 26th annual MidYear Conference in Reno, Nevada. Here are some of the highlights and lessons learned:

• University of South Carolina professor Pat Hickey kicked things off with a stirring keynote address on Thursday night. Hickey related the summits he has scaled (including Mt. Everest) to obstacles facing student nurses today. He shared some hilarious stories and inspired everyone with his moving video featuring the end of his journey up Everest and U2’s “Beautiful Day.” Learn more about Hickey and his Summit Scholarship.
• The Stressed Out booth was hoppin’ as usual. We gave away nearly 600 of our famous “Stressed Out in Reno” T-shirts (see the picture below) and hundreds of our Quick-E books. Didn’t get one? Enter into contests here on our site and you could win!
• The best booth, however, has to go to the folks from the Army. They had an actual tent! Kudos, guys.
• One of our authors, Kathleen Bartholomew, captivated audiences with her presentations on nurse-to-nurse hostility and nurse-physician communication. Check out her Stressed Out book.
• Seafood in the western part of the country is nothing like seafood on the Atlantic coast. Trust us.
• Speaking of food, did you know the John Ascuaga Golden Nugget Casino has a Thanksgiving tradition? Neither did we. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay for the cranberry sauce and stuffing.

Do you have some memories to share from your trip to Reno? We’d love to hear them!