University of Alberta
Canadian Nursing Students' Association
What is the CNSA?
The CNSA is the national voice of Canadian nursing students which represents
nursing students on local, provincial, federal and international levels.
The goals of the CNSA is to provide different resources to Canadian nursing students.
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They provide leadership opportunities
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They increase awareness of political issues, and ethical issues to students
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They strengthen partnerships.
Regions of the CNSA:
Atlantic Region
Ontario Region
Prairie Region
Quebec Region
Western Region
CNSA Committees:
CNSA committees are made up of committee directors and members. Any member of the CNSA (which includes all U of A nursing students) can be a part of a committee. If you would like to be more involved with the CNSA, consider joining one of the following committees!
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Community and public health committee
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This committee's mission is to advocate for health protection, promotion and prevention in the public sector and communities. The past committee has conducted research topics to share academically sound information with members. Some of the topics include harm reduction, health promotion, and injury prevention.
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Diversity committee
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This committee aims at educating and advocating for peoples belonging to marginalized populations.
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Global health committee
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This committee provides resources and support for nursing students who wish to pursue or are interested in global health aspects and advocacy.
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Indigenous health advocacy committee
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The committee provide resources and support for students interested in knowing more about indigenous people’s health care.
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Research and education committee
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The committee focuses on supporting nursing students in getting involved into research. They showcase scholarly research work, and host national conference. They are the main resource for research opportunities and findings.
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Bilingualism and Translation committee
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The committee ensures that bilingual or francophone nursing students receive the support and resources from CNSA to succeed in their academic progress.
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Previous Events
CNSA National Conference
The CNSA national conference took place in Calgary from January 22-26, 2019. The theme for the conference was “Students as Leaders and Advocates”.
CNSA Regional Conference
The CNSA hosted the regional conference in Regina and Saskatchewan. Conference dates included October 26-27. This year’s theme was “Breaking Barriers: Exploring the Future Through Rural and Community Nursing."
Notes from the Regional Conference
At the conference, we voted on several topics and discussed important updates that may be coming to nursing students across Canada. This included discussing the termination of the NCLEX in Newfoundland, the resultant development of a new licensing exam for Canadians (not coming into effect for a few years at least), improvement of evaluations for our nursing practices, advocating for more undergraduate nurse employee (UNE) positions, bilingual programming work, and much more.
I was able to attend sessions focused on cannabis use, the opioid crisis, stigmatization of the word "fat", structural violence in Nunvavut, proper patient care for queer individuals, and had the chance to attend a panel session with some of the first responders of the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy.
Lastly, I want to remind you all of some important resources that you receive as a member of a CNSA chapter school!
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Lippincott NCLEX-RN PassPoint - 25% off their prep guide
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Scholarships available from our stakeholders
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NurseONE - provides access to best-practice guidelines, clinical competencies, Anatomy TV, and other educational resources
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Longwoods - peer-reviewed leadership journal, contains job posting boards, and other nursing resources
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The Personal - decreased group insurance rates (up until 5 years after you graduate)
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Scrubs with a cause - $0.25 from each scrub set goes towards funding nursing leadership scholarships
More About Us
CNSA Official Delegate - Rita Iradukunda
As Official Delegate I am the primary resource for nursing students for CNSA within your chapter school, which is the U of A. My role is to promote CNSA and all of its associated events. At regional and national conferences, it is my role to vote on behalf of you all as students, which is why it is so important to hear all of your opinions on any national nursing concerns (such as the NCLEX, etc.). Please feel free to contact me at riraduku@ualberta.ca if you have any questions about the CNSA, how you can get involved, or have a topic or concern that you would like me to bring up with the CNSA.
CNSA Associate Delegate - Jamie Hudson
As the Associate Delegate, I have a very similar role to that of the official delegate, in that I act as a resource for nursing students in regards to the CNSA, and step in as the official delegate (OD) when the OD is unavailable. You can reach out to me if you have any concerns that you would like me to address or advocate for related to your undergraduate nursing education, or for Canadian nursing students as a whole. I actively promote the CNSA at the University of Alberta, and try to share with you the interesting and useful resources that the CNSA has to offer including discounts, scholarships, and opportunities. At regional and national conferences, I am responsible to advocate and/or vote on your behalf, which is why I seek out your feedback prior to attending these conferences (Ex. concerns, addressing controversial issues, the NCLEX, etc.). Basically, the OD and I are your voices at a national level, and I am happy to provide information and guidance whenever possible. I am also responsible for planning and executing the National Nursing Students' Week (NNSW) with the OD, which occurs annually in November. Please feel free to contact me at alberta@cnsa.ca or jhudson@ualberta.ca if you have any questions about the CNSA/NNSW, how you can get involved at the chapter level, or if you have a topic or concern that you would like me to address with the CNSA. Remember: You are important, and deserve the best nursing school experience possible - speak up and get involved to see change happen!