Leading Care: Senior Madeline Stadler and the Student Nurses’ Association of Pennsylvania

How did you rise to this leadership position?    I have been involved with SNAP both on the state and local level since my freshman year. Sophomore year, I ran and was elected as Secretary/Treasurer for the state board. My junior year, I knew I wanted to become more involved at the state level so I decided to run for President.

Who influenced you?    Dr. Weingarten has been a major mentor in my SNAP journey. She is the one who first encouraged me to get involved with SNAP. In addition, the SNAP state board has two professional consultants and an executive director who have also been mentors. Finally, former SNAP Presidents Meghan Long and Marcus Henderson have been great mentors in my SNAP Presidency.

Why is it important to you? Why are you enthusiastic about your work in this role?     I love getting the opportunity to meet different nursing students from across the state and across the country when I attend the National Student Nurses’ Conventions. It excites me to see such a large group of students who are so passionate about the profession of nursing. Also, I love meeting new nursing students and encouraging them to get more involved.

What are the issues you deal with and what’s the biggest challenge in your area?     The biggest challenge within SNAP is that Pennsylvania is such a large state. In some regions, there are alot of schools who are all really close which makes it easy to meet with them and facilitate partnerships between the schools. However, in other regions schools are not as close which makes communication a little more difficult.

How are you effective in your role? What’s critical to your success in the role?    I am effective in my role, because I help my board members achieve their full potential. Without a passionate and motivated board, SNAP would not be as successful. I discuss all my decisions with SNAP’s professional consultants and Executive Director before finalizing anything. They provide such good advice and as students I think this is especially important because we are still learning the ins and outs of what it means to be on a Board of Directors.

What’s your advice to someone who wants to be a leader in their area of interest?    Get involved with the professional organization. It is a great way to learn more about that area and you get to meet leaders within the field. Also, ask questions. I have learned so much from asking questions to different nursing leaders that I have met.

What is your leadership philosophy?     As a leader, the most important thing you can do is inspire and empower others to achieve their own goals and vision.

What’s your hope for our profession?    I hope that nurses will continue to use their strong voices in the public sphere in order to continue advocating for our patients and advance the profession of nursing.