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The Orvis School of Nursing sent a small but determined delegation to the nation’s capital on March 30-31 to participate in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Student Policy Summit. The trip asked students to step out of clinical and classroom routines and into a setting where legislative choices influence how care is delivered. The summit functioned as an immersive policy experience, pairing educational panels with scheduled meetings with congressional staff. For participants, the event was less an academic exercise and more a practical lesson in how the mechanics of government intersect with the day-to-day realities of health care and nursing practice.
From campus to Capitol Hill: the experience
Led by Dr. Charlie Yingling, dean of the Orvis School of Nursing, the delegation included two student leaders: Hannah Ahern, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing candidate, and Tommy Garcia, a Doctor of Nursing Practice student. Together with peers from across the country, they attended briefings designed to explain the legislative process and to identify current priorities for academic nursing. The event emphasized advocacy as an essential skill for nurses, not only to protect clinical autonomy but also to shape funding streams that support nursing education and workforce development. The summit’s structure blended policy primers, practice-oriented panels and hands-on meetings with legislative staff.
Preparing for direct engagement
Before meeting congressional offices, students rehearsed talking points and practiced sharing concise, impactful stories. These preparations focused on the value of lived examples when discussing complex issues such as student loan support, clinical placement funding and graduate workforce pipelines. The delegation learned to frame messages around measurable outcomes and patient impact. That approach turned abstract policy language into relatable narratives that illustrate how funding decisions ripple through classrooms, clinical rotations and acute care settings. The training also highlighted the role of constituent voice in shaping legislative attention and the importance of aligning local experience with national priorities.
Voices from the delegation
Hannah Ahern, who serves as president of the Orvis Student Nurses Association and is set to graduate in May 2026, described the summit as empowering. She entered meetings determined to represent the concerns of recent graduates and students entering the profession. Ahern found that lawmakers and staff respond to personal testimony: stories about clinical training bottlenecks or the financial stress of nursing school gave legislators a clearer picture of policy consequences. For her, the event reinforced the importance of continuing engagement with elected officials and of turning clinical observations into advocacy priorities that support safe staffing and accessible education.
A clinician’s perspective on policy
Tommy Garcia, a DNP student in the Adult–Gerontology Acute Care track with over two decades of healthcare experience including service in the United States Air Force, brought a practice-heavy perspective to conversations. Garcia emphasized that policy decisions are not abstract: they determine scope of practice, access to resources and the capacity of teams to deliver care. He shared examples from his clinical background to illustrate how workforce shortages and regulatory constraints translate into bedside consequences. The summit helped him connect the policy-making process to frontline outcomes and strengthened his resolve to remain involved in advocacy as a way to improve systems of care.
Impact, collaboration and next steps
Participation in the summit underscored two consistent themes: the power of collective action and the value of early engagement in policy. Students from 45 states attended, creating a network of peers who will carry advocacy work back to their campuses and communities. Both Ahern and Garcia returned with concrete commitments to stay involved in legislative outreach, mentor other students in advocacy and work with faculty to integrate policy education into curricula. The delegation’s return to campus also highlighted the role that donors and institutional support play in enabling experiential learning, allowing students to translate classroom knowledge into public influence.
Looking ahead
The trip concluded with a renewed sense of responsibility: those who benefit from past advocacy must contribute to future efforts. The delegation’s work at the summit made clear that nursing influence in policy stems from well-told experience, strategic collaboration and sustained engagement. By centering patient stories and educational priorities, the Orvis School of Nursing delegates demonstrated how student voices can affect national conversations about health care. Their participation reinforced the message that clinical leaders of tomorrow will need both bedside skill and policy fluency to shape a resilient and equitable health system.