Indiana State Nurses Association

03/13/2026

Be part of the collective voice advancing nursing in Indiana and across the nation. Join Indiana State Nurses Association and American Nurses Association to advocate, connect, and lead the future of our profession.

Together, we are stronger. www.joinana.org

03/12/2026

ISNA Call for Nominations: Secretary, Director, & Nominations Committee

We are inviting fellow nurses to join us in volunteering with the Indiana State Nurses Association to help strengthen the future of nursing in our state. Serving with ISNA offers a powerful opportunity to elevate your personal and professional identity while making a meaningful impact on Indiana’s nursing workforce. Through committee and project involvement, you can grow your advocacy skills, build your professional presence, and enhance your portfolio with leadership experience that truly matters. Volunteering with ISNA not only advances our profession, but it also elevates each of us as nurse leaders. The ISNA Nominations Committee encourages you to step forward and be part of this important work.

Learn more here: https://indiananurses.nursingnetwork.com/page/95379-2026-isna-elections

03/11/2026

Valparaiso University is hosting a Valpo Voices webinar:

Graduate Perspectives in Nursing
Day: Monday, March 23
Time: 6:00 PM (CST)
Location: Virtual / Online

Registration Link:
https://admission.valpo.edu/register/?id=336f9120-831e-44e1-a258-0820be1fdbd9

This session is part of the Valpo Voices series, and it is intentionally conversational, informative, and low‑pressure — offering students and practicing nurses a chance to hear directly from faculty, admissions staff, and current graduate nursing students about graduate programs, how advanced education aligns with professional goals, and what to expect from the graduate experience. It’s a great resource for those planning next steps in their nursing careers.

03/10/2026

Public Comment Period Closes. The public comment period for the Department of Education’s (ED’s) proposed rulemaking to implement federal graduate student loan limits closed on March 2. Now, ED must review American Nurses Association's (ANA’s) comment letter alongside the over 75,000 submitted comments. Our letter urges ED to qualify post-baccalaureate nursing degrees as professional so that students pursuing these critical programs have access to higher federal graduate student loan borrowing limits. ANA is monitoring the publication of the final rule, which is anticipated in the coming months.

03/09/2026

✨ Let us celebrate YOU! ✨
The incredible nurses of Indiana are the heart of our profession, and we want to highlight the amazing work you’re doing.

Tag us in your posts or send us a DM so we can feature you on our page and celebrate the impact you’re making across the state. 💙

03/08/2026

03/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended Nurses Day at the Statehouse and helped make it such an incredible success! We are so grateful for your commitment to advancing our profession and advocating for the patients and communities we serve. 💙

03/04/2026

Men’s Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice
Honoring Julian L. Gallegos, PhD, MBA, APRN, FNP-BC, NREMT, CNL, CMHE, FAUNA, FADLN

Indiana is now firmly on the map in a historic transformation of nursing practice. Men’s health has been officially recognized as a specialty within the profession of nursing, and at the center of this national achievement is one of our own: Dr. Julian L. Gallegos.

Dr. Gallegos, faculty at Purdue University–West Lafayette, was the driving force behind the idea that men’s health deserves its own defined specialty within nursing. For years, he witnessed how boys and men were often invisible in traditional models of care, despite experiencing disproportionate burdens of premature death, occupational injury, mental health challenges, and delayed treatment. Refusing to accept this as the status quo, he set out to change the profession itself.

To advance this vision, Dr. Gallegos founded the American Men’s Health Nursing Alliance (AMHNA) and, together with national partners, led the development of the first-ever Men’s Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice. This document has now been formally reviewed and approved by the American Nurses Association (ANA) Board of Directors, officially establishing Men’s Health Nursing as a recognized specialty.

Indiana nurses can take pride in knowing that this groundbreaking work began with a Hoosier nurse whose commitment to evidence-based care, health equity, and innovation shaped a new path for the profession. Through his leadership, men’s health is no longer an afterthought it is a defined focus of nursing practice, education, and research.

As this specialty is implemented across the country, Indiana’s nursing community stands at the forefront, with Dr. Gallegos’s work ensuring that boys and men in our state and beyond will be seen, heard, and cared for with greater intention and expertise than ever before.

https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2026-news-releases/american-nurses-association-recognizes-mens-health-as-a-nursing-specialty/

03/03/2026

Looking to get more involved with the Indiana State Nurses Association? 💙

Join the ISNA Events Committee and help bring meaningful, mission-driven experiences to life for nurses across Indiana!

✨ Participation: Volunteer (ISNA Member)
🗓 Meetings: 1st Thursday of each month | 1:00–2:00 PM (ET) | Microsoft Teams

Email Trudy@Indiananurses.org to join!

03/02/2026

Week 10 – Final Week of the 2026 Session

About 30 bills remain as we head toward Sine Die on Friday, Feb. 27. Conference Committees are meeting quickly, with language from dead bills being amended into moving legislation. Final day action will include conference votes, Rules Committee meetings, and floor votes.

Key ISNA Updates:

🔹 HB 1040 (Battery Against School & Healthcare Employees) – Did not advance in the Senate and is officially dead. However, its felony-level penalty language and reporting requirements are expected to move forward in HB 1249, HB 1343, and HB 1025.

🔹 HB 1003 (Boards & Commissions) – In conference committee. Includes proposed changes to the Midwifery Committee and repeal of several councils/boards. Awaiting final report.

🔹 HB 1278 (Nursing Education Programs) – Still pending. Expands ISNA’s role in Board of Nursing recommendations and allows qualifying nursing programs to increase enrollment. Awaiting next steps.

We’ll continue monitoring closely as session wraps up.

02/27/2026

We’re bringing back our informal, small‑group gatherings designed for connection—not agendas. These meet-ups give ISNA members a chance to network, share experiences, and build community in a relaxed setting.

If your organization is interested in hosting or sponsoring a 2026 ISNA Member Meet-Up, we’d love to collaborate with you. It’s an easy, meaningful way to support nurses and strengthen local engagement across Indiana.

Want to learn more or sign up as a partner? Reach out to Katie@IndianaNurses.org for more information.

02/26/2026

HB 1040, Battery Against School and Healthcare Employees, was called down on second reading on Thursday. This bill increases the penalty to felony level offenses for causing harm to a healthcare employee (defined as one who is employed by an entity that is licensed, certified or authorized to administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of the profession) or to a school employee. This bill also requires employers of healthcare or school employees to make a report to the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Labor twice a year regarding workplace battery incidents. Two second reading amendments were filed on the bill and only one, authored by Senator Freeman, was adopted. It was a technical change to move the reporting language to a different chapter of the Indiana Code.

Indiana Nurses Popped In and Watched the Second Reading Success Live!