Sierra Gage, a third-year Direct Entry Nursing student, recently won best poster at the “Innovate and Educate: Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Nurse Educators" fall conference hosted by the Massachusetts Rhode Island League for Nursing (MARILN) at Holy Cross College in Worcester.  

Titled, “Enhancing Nursing Students' Communication Skills in Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship to Caregivers through High-Fidelity Simulation-Based Education," Gage and Assistant Professor Maureen Hillier, with whom she partnered, presented a study that found realistic training scenarios helped nursing students improve their communication skills around antibiotic use in children.  

“By practicing these conversations, students gained confidence and became more prepared to discuss proper antibiotic use with parents, caregivers, and families,” said Gage. “This kind of training supports future nurses in reducing antibiotic misuse, which is an important step in the fight against antibiotic resistance. 

Assistant Professor Rachel Cox-Simms, an industry leader in Artificial Intelligence in nursing education, gave the keynote address.  

Assistant Professor Karen Hunt and Instructor Cassandra Mombrun both presented posters, as did Assistant Professor Rachel Salguero, who is president of the Massachusetts Rhode Island League for Nursing, and Cox-Simms.  

“There was an amazing showing of IHP students and faculty at this conference, I am truly honored that ours was selected as Best Poster,” noted Gage. “It was such a wonderful experience to see what my future in nursing could look like.”