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Emergency Nurses Association Welcomes New Leadership

Analysis  |  By Carol Davis  
   January 04, 2022

2022 president Jennifer Schmitz's focus will be on helping emergency nurses through pandemic exhaustion.

Jennifer Schmitz, MSN, EMT-P, CEN, CPEN, CNML, FNP-C, NE-BC, who took office this week as president of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), plans to focus her tenure on recharging ENA and its members who have experienced burnout and exhaustion as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

Schmitz hopes to inspire emergency nurses to take care of themselves and keep pushing forward.

"Emergency nursing is a complex profession, so it’s important for all of us to focus on recharging," she said. "Whether that’s spending time doing a hobby we love, giving back to our communities, or volunteering with the association, my goal is to provide a consistent reminder that we must take care of ourselves."

Schmitz, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, has spent her entire career in emergency nursing, primarily in a community hospital setting.

She has served at a variety of levels and is currently the chief nursing officer for Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford, Maine, where she still cares for patients at the stretcherside.

She joined ENA in 2002 as a new graduate nurse and has been active at the local, state, and national levels ever since.

She served as Maine ENA State Council president and as a member of the council’s board of directors, participated on the ENA Operations Committee in 2016 and 2017, is an active TNCC and ENPC instructor, and served as a board member at the national level.

As ENA's president, she leads more than 50,000 members worldwide who have expertise in triage, patient care, disaster preparedness, and all aspects of emergency care.

"I'm thrilled to lead such a great organization," she said, "and look forward to the triumphs and challenges that lay ahead."

“My goal is to provide a consistent reminder that we must take care of ourselves.”

Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.


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