Written by Cathy (CJ) Carter-Snell, AFN President, PhD, RN, SANE-A, DF-AFN

Hard to believe: It’s already August and the summer is half over! I am hoping you all got some sort of break this summer—or still plan for one.

I am so excited about our successful AFN Indy Forensic Nursing Conference in Indianapolis last month. We had more than 200 participants, onsite and virtual, and a lineup of excellent speakers. Many thanks go to the AFN Indy Planning Committee, led by Natalie Calow; the AFN Education Committee; and our support staff who ensured the CEs, marketing, and tech support (Angelia Trujillo, Kristi Mayo, and Kevin Zaragoza).

It was also wonderful to have Virginia Lynch join participants at the conference; she was so gracious with her time. There were many other founders and senior forensic nurses in attendance, as well as some new forensic nurses. A great video clip was posted of attendees saying how long they had been forensic nurses. Many were over 25 years! I love that we can connect with new and senior forensic nurses to share ideas and strategies and hopefully provide mentorship.

I was sadly unable to attend the Indy conference, but many thanks to our President-Elect Kimberly Kasper for welcoming the participants on my behalf.

We look forward to our next in-person and virtual conference in Tucson, Arizona, September 22–24; and our annual AFN International Virtual Conference in November. We are also planning a spring conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 22–24. Our commitment to our members and the community is to provide high-quality, evidence-informed education, mentorship, and collaboration.

We have a busy fall coming up with the two conferences, but also with the AFN Board of Directors election. We have a number of spots open for officers and directors, and we highly encourage you to consider running. You don’t need to be a senior forensic nurse—we only ask that you’re enthusiastic and willing to participate on committees and activities that support our members.

If lack of personal experience serving on boards is a concern, we have an orientation program planned in December for those who are elected. We will pair each newly elected board member with an experienced board member.

The deadline to apply for the election is August 14. Please consider putting your name forward. Reach out to me or any of the directors if you want more information. There is a video of our Q&A meeting on the website, but we are happy to answer questions one-on-one, as well.

Have a great August. Take some time to recharge.

Cathy (CJ) Carter-Snell

AFN President

PhD, RN, SANE-A, DF-AFN