1. Professional and Educational Goals with emphasis on the contributions the student
expects to make to improve nursing care for older adults (not to exceed 250
words).
I worked as a Geriatric Nursing Assistant in a Baltimore nursing home before
attending the JHU School of Nursing. While I was there I was inspired by the
psychological and physical effect I could have on older adults’ lives. However, I was
frustrated by the lack of attention to my patients’ needs. I understood then that the elderly
are one of the most underserved populations and that they need advocates, like nurses.
My educational goals include completing the MSN: Adult/Geriatric Nurse
Practitioner program in December of 2016. While completing this goal, I am the
President of the Geriatric Interest Group which is a group focused on promoting quality
nursing care for older adults through education and service-learning events. I am also
working with Dr. Elizabeth Tanner to develop and implement a student initiative for the
NGNA. Too many nursing students across the U.S. are unaware of the differences in the
presentation of illness between younger and older adults and therefore tend to ignore
symptoms. I hope to increase awareness and enact change through the NGNA student
initiative. I spend about 30 hours per month coordinating events as President of the
Geriatric Interest Group, working with the NGNA, and participating in events. My
professional goals are to continue the student initiative throughout my career and to work
with older adults to improve their quality of life. I would love to attend the NGNA
Conference in order to connect with more professionals in the field of geriatrics and to
further my professional and educational goals.
May 5, 2015
NGNA – Student Leadership Award
3493 Lansdowne Drive, Suite 2
Lexington, KY 40517
Dear Student Leadership Award Committee:
It is my pleasure to nominate Marion Trumbull for the Gerontological Nursing Student
Leadership Award, sponsored by the NGNA Fellows. Marion is a graduate student in the AdultGerontology Nurse Practitioner program at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Nursing. I
have worked with Marion closely over the past year as her faculty mentor and have closely
observed her knowledge and skills while getting to know her. I can attest to her passion and
potential to provide care for older adults and to be a leader in gerontological nursing; thus, I
would like to strongly recommend her for the Gerontological Graduate Nursing Student
Leadership Award.
Marion began her career in gerontological nursing by working as a geriatric nursing assistant in
a Baltimore nursing home before attending the JHU School of Nursing. While working in this
role as a GNA, she was inspired by both the psychological and physical effects she had on older
adults for whom she provided cared. However, she was also inspired by the desire to learn
more and expand her role so that she could do more to address patients’ unmet needs which
had identified. She developed the assumption that older adults are one of the most
underserved populations and that they need advocates, like nurses. For that reason, she
became a nurse! Her educational goals now include completing a Master of Science degree
(MSN) in the Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program in which she is currently enrolled
(graduating in December of 2016) and working in a nursing home to improve the care of older
adults – her original intention as a GNA.
While completing her baccalaureate degree in nursing, Marion was president of the Geriatric
Interest Group (GIG) at JHU. As president of the GIG which focuses on promoting quality
nursing care for older adults through education and service-learning events, she has been
working with me to develop and implement a student initiative for the NGNA. She hopes to
increase awareness of the unique health care needs of older adults among student nurses and
enact change through expansion of the NGNA student initiative. She currently spends about 30
hours per month coordinating events as president of the GIG, coordinating local events and also
working with the NGNA to expand the student interest group. One of her professional goals
includes continuing to support the NGNA student initiative throughout her career while
working with older adults to improve their quality of life.
Marion is extremely worthy of a scholarship to attend the NGNA Annual Convention. If selected,
she will lead other students in order to enhance interest in gerontological nursing in their home
schools, and she will benefit from the connections she will make with expert nurses in the field.
This award will also support her educational and professional and goals to become a
Department of Community-Public Health
525 North Wolfe Street Baltimore, MD 21205 www.nursing.jhu.edu
gerontological nurse. I strongly support the nomination of Marion Trumbull for the
Gerontological Nursing Student Leadership Award (graduate level) – Marion and NGNA will
benefit from her attendance.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth “Ibby” Tanner, PhD, RN, FNGNA, FAAN
Associate Professor