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University of Maryland School of Nursing Student Appointed to National Student Leadership Council

March 4, 2013

Baltimore, Md. – University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) Doctor of Nursing Practice student, Kristen Altdoerffer, MSN, is one of 10 nursing students who have been appointed to a two-year term on the newly formed Leadership Council of the Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA) by the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN).

The Leadership Council will help set priorities for the new student group and provide advice regarding future services and programming. GNSA was launched in fall 2012 to provide quality programs, services, and resources to nursing students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs. It will help serve the professional development needs of graduate nursing students as they prepare for careers in the field.

“I am honored to be appointed to the Leadership Council and to be working with a national group of prestigious graduate students,” said Altdoerffer, who is also a clinical instructor at UMSON. “I look forward to increasing student awareness of the council and helping to formulate a strong foundation for the Graduate Nursing Student Academy.”

Open to all graduate students enrolled in AACN-accredited schools, the Leadership Council is comprised of seven doctoral students – four PhD and three Doctor of Nursing Practice – and three master’s students. Appointees formally began their terms on March 1.

“Congratulations to Kristen and this outstanding group of emerging leaders for the courage and commitment they have shown on behalf of their fellow nursing students nationwide,” said UMSON Dean and AACN President Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “I’m looking forward to seeing the work that Kristen does with the Leadership Council in helping to develop programs and resources that serve the expressed needs of the more than 110,000 nursing students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs in the U.S.”

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largestnursing schools, and is ranked eleventh nationally. Enrolling nearly 1,700 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.