Nurse Day at the Capitol

Share |

NURSE DAY AT THE CAPITOL ALERT: ON-SITE REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE ON DAY ONE (MARCH 3) ONLY. VISIT THE CHECK-IN STATION AT THE DOWNRIGHT AUSTIN HOTEL ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT.

Nurse Day at the Capitol is coming up in early 2025! Many TNA members cite their experiences at TNA’s Nurse Day events as opening their eyes to the many facets of the nursing profession and inspiring them to get informed about nursing issues and encouraged about the future of nursing in Texas. The next Nurse Day at the Capitol will be on March 3 and 4, 2025. The need for nurses to advocate for Texans and themselves has never been greater. Over 600 nurses joined us in Austin in 2023. Help us make that number greater next year, and make sure nurse voices are heard!

Register

At TNA's Nurse Day at the Capitol, nurses of all backgrounds come together to advocate for policy that betters the nursing profession. The annual event allows nurses to hear more about nursing issues, identify opportunities to influence healthcare policy, and develop a personal advocacy message.

The half-day live CNE event will include an overview of the current public health landscape in Texas, the nurse’s role in health policy, the nursing legislative agenda, and a legislative panel. This will be followed by a day full of visits with individual legislators.

For group inquiries and registration details for students and NLAC members, click the button below to learn how to register and review any applicable restrictions.

Agenda

Day One - Monday, March 3, 2025

11:00 a.m. - Registration & Marketplace Opens

12:00 p.m. - Texas Nurse PAC Luncheon (Ticket Sold Separately, TNA Membership Required)

01:30 p.m. - The Advocacy Effect: How Texas Nurses Are Transforming Communities

01:45 p.m. - Trends of the Texas Nursing Workforce

02:15 p.m. - Vaccines as Technologies for Health

02:45 p.m. - Government Affairs Report

03:00 p.m. - Marketplace Break

03:30 p.m. - Advocacy & Policy Workshop

04:30 p.m. - Next Steps & Closing Remarks

05:00 p.m. - Network & Marketplace Visit

06:00 p.m. - End of Day One

Day 2 - Tuesday, March 4, 2025

08:15 a.m. - March to the Texas Capitol

09:00 a.m. - Legislative Appointments Begin

05:00 p.m. - Legislative Appointments End

Speakers

Maria Elena Bottazzi, PhD

Baylor College of Medicine

Maria Elena Bottazzi is an internationally recognized tropical and emerging disease vaccinologist, global health advocate. She pioneers and leads innovative partnerships for the advancement of a robust vaccine development portfolio tackling diseases that affect disproportionally the world’s poorest populations, making significant contributions to catalyze policies and disseminate science information to reach a diverse set of audiences.

Pamela Lauer, MPH

Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies

Pamela Lauer has 17 years of experience working with the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies (TCNWS) on nursing workforce data and projects. She has been responsible for overseeing the TCNWS since January 2013. Through her many years with the nursing workforce center she has worked on projects related to nursing education, Texas nursing workforce supply and demographics, supply and demand projections, nurse employer surveys, and initiatives focused on workplace violence against nurses.

Amy McCarthy, DNP, RNC-MNN, NE-BC

Hippocratic AI

Amy K. McCarthy, DNP, RNC-MNN, NE-BC, currently serves as the Chief Nursing Officer at Hippocratic AI. An alumna of The George Washington University, she earned her DNP with a focus on Executive Leadership. McCarthy is a champion of transformational and heart-led leadership, aiming to foster innovative and health-centered environments for nurses. Her decade-long experience involves collaborating with state and national leaders in nursing, improving outcomes for the public and employees she serves at the bedside and in leadership.

Presently, McCarthy is the President of the Texas Nurses Association and the Past-President of The Dallas Fort Worth Great 100 Nurses. She has notably served as a Director-at-Large on the American Nurses Association Board of Directors, addressing crucial issues like safe staffing, workplace violence, and racial equality in nursing. Her involvement with the National League of Nursing includes contributing to the advisory board of the Accelerating to Practice program, focusing on new graduate integration into the workforce.

McCarthy’s roles extend to the Nurses on Boards Coalition, where she was a Texas Action Coalition representative and Co-chair of the Communications Work Group, overseeing coalition marketing and communication strategies. As the Secretary of the Texas Nurses Association from 2019 to 2021, she was instrumental in integrating younger voices into the organization, fostering ties with the Texas Nursing Students Association, and launching a podcast that highlights nursing innovation and mental health. McCarthy’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Southern Methodist University, and both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds professional certifications in Executive Nursing and Maternal-Newborn Nursing.

Jack Frazee

Texas Nurses Association

Jack Frazee is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. He is the Director of Government Affairs and General Counsel for the Texas Nurses Association and owns and operates the Frazee Law Firm as a civil litigator. His litigation work has received the support of the Texas Attorney General's Office through amicus briefing; shaped the interpretation of laws by litigating issues of first impression; and advanced the interests of workers, patients, homeowners, consumers, and taxpayers. He advocates on behalf of the Texas Nurses Association to advance nurses' interests through legislative and regulatory reform.

Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Texas Nurses Association

Dr. Serena Bumpus currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Nurses Association where she is responsible for providing oversight of related entities and programs including the Texas Nurses Foundation and the Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses and other programs as identified. She is responsible for executing the ongoing vision for the association as it relates to the changing healthcare landscape and the nursing profession.

Dr. Bumpus’s nursing career spans over 20 years where she has held various positions from staff nurse to Director of Nursing, all in the acute care hospital setting. Most recently, she was the Senior Regional Director of Clinical Surveillance at Ascension Health. She has demonstrated a strong career trajectory with involvement in leadership, governance, and advancing the nursing profession. She has made significant strides in improving outcomes and advancing nursing practice throughout her career.

Serena received her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2019 from Texas Tech University health Sciences Center in Lubbock. She is also an active and engaged member of numerous professional nursing organizations.

Tracey Ramsey Abbott, DNP, MPA, RN, NPD-BC

Baylor Scott and White

Driven by an unwavering passion to make top-notch healthcare accessible to all, Tracey puts patient safety and staff empowerment front and center. Tracey is dedicated to identifying areas for process improvement to ensure excellence in care, even in the most stringent regulatory environments. With a medical career spanning civilian and military nursing, surgical healthcare management, and education, Tracey has had the privilege of supporting professional development and quality care while collaborating with colleagues and partners in the healthcare field.

Tracey addresses community healthcare gaps through a small business and serves as a part-time clinical instructor for unlicensed BSN students. Drawing on over 30 years of experience, Tracey's expertise includes nursing professional development, healthcare change management, evidence-based practice, infection control, ambulatory surgery, critical care, interventional radiology, and cardiac cath lab operations.

As an Army veteran, Tracey exemplifies servant leadership and gives back to the profession as chair of the Government Affairs Committee for the Texas Nurses Association, championing the mission of "Empowering Texas Nurses to advance the profession." Tracey is also proud to serve as president of the board of Blue Lapis Light, a site-specific aerial dance company contributing to the arts in Central Texas, and remains committed to service through active community volunteering.

Hotel

NURSE DAY AT THE CAPITOL UPDATE: Renaissance Austin Hotel has rooms available at a Nurse Day rate.

A few additional room have become available at DownRight Austin, the event venue. Since the hotel is otherwise sold out, these rooms are extremely limited. Once they're gone, no more will be available.

~~BOOK A ROOM AT DOWNRIGHT AUSTIN~~

Additionally, due to high demand, we've secured a second room block at the Renaissance Austin Hotel, located near the Arboretum.

BOOK A ROOM AT RENAISSANCE AUSTIN

Be sure to book your room by Friday, February 21 to secure the special room block rate at either location.

To ease congestion, we encourage attendees to carpool or rideshare, as parking will be limited with an expected turnout of nearly 1,000 nurses.

If you're local to Austin, consider using Uber or a taxi service. For those driving, valet parking is available at the hotel, but spaces are limited. Explore nearby parking options by clicking here.

Exhibitors






Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies

With 600 participants in 2023, we anticipate up to 1,000 nurses and nursing students this coming year in Austin for the 2025 Nurse Day at the Capitol. This event is designed for nurses and future nurses to learn more about the issues facing the profession and strategize on sharing their message with legislators the next day during their visit to the Texas State Capitol.

The Texas Nurses Association appreciates the support you’ve shown nurses and hopes that you take advantage of this opportunity to partner and support this impactful event.

All exhibits will be in the pre-function area outside of the event room and there will be ample time to meet with attendees. Exhibitors may attend educational sessions if space is available.

If you're interested in becoming a sponsor or exhibitor, please contact Andrew Kovach with any questions or inquiries.

Learn more about Exhibitor and Sponsorship Opportunities

Download the Exhibitor Contract

ALL PACKAGES ARE SOLD OUT!

Exhibit Times Include:

11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.: Scheduled break
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. Load out