It is the start of summer, which means school is out, barbeques are planned, vacations are booked, and campers are heading out on the road. This is always an exciting time of year for me. I have many fond memories of summer break and the fun I would have with friends and family. We would always have the slip ‘n slide out, sprinklers going, no bedtime, and no homework! As a working mom, summer looks quite different. My kids are all signed up for camps and so excited to not have homework. For nurses, even though the school year might be done, our learning and education continues. AMSN has some exciting offerings this summer with our monthly webinars, the 100th episode of Med-Surg Moments podcast, and registration is open for the AMSN Annual Convention! This is our 32nd annual medical-surgical nursing convention, and we’re hosting it in Las Vegas. If you have not been to a nursing convention before, I hope you consider joining us this year or in the future. 

Nursing conventions are one of the most energizing and beneficial activities I have attended during my nursing career. The first conference I attended was the Oncology Nurses Society (ONS) Annual Congress in 2006. It was so exciting to be in a room full of nurses who were facing the same challenges and situations that I was. The feeling of connectedness was palpable. The sessions were spot on to my daily practice, and I learned new and innovative ways to address the issues my peers and patients were facing. I was hooked. In 2008, I attended my first AMSN convention as a poster presenter. Again, I found the sessions so adaptable to my unit and my patient population. We are all working to improve patient outcomes with different projects and interventions. I have continued attending nursing conventions with AMSN, among others, and I am always impressed with the passion, knowledge, and innovation of our nursing peers. 

This year the AMSN convention is September 21-23, 2023. We have changed up the program this year to condense the sessions to three days. We hope this will give attendees more flexibility for travel arrangements and time to enjoy our host city. I have been to Las Vegas quite a few times over the last few years, as one of my best friends lives there. When she moved there in 2021, I told her I would visit twice a year, and I have kept that promise so far. This year we have had over 200 abstracts for poster presentations, which is sure to produce some great content for review. The program planning committee has put together the best educational package for you to learn, connect, and have fun with your peers. I can’t wait for this year’s AMSN Annual Convention, and I hope to see you there! Register now, and discover all of the exciting opportunities that await you in Las Vegas this September.