Nursing Students Attend Kern Conference for Flourishing in Health

Belmont nursing students reflect shift in health care education toward interprofessional, flourishing-focused future.

This semester, four Inman College of Nursing students were selected by faculty to represent Belmont at the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Health (KNN) Learner Conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Among 164 learners representing 48 institutions nationwide, only seven were nursing students – and four of them came from Belmont.

For Abigail Maguire, Khadijah Faison, Hope Williams and Rachel Miller, the conference offered a glimpse into the future of health care education and an opportunity to help shape it.

Learning across disciplines

The KNN Learner Conference brings together students from across health professions to explore how to cultivate flourishing in healthcare systems. As the network continues to expand its interprofessional focus, it is creating space for disciplines like nursing, pharmacy and medicine to learn alongside one another.

Through conversations with peers from across the country, Belmont students saw firsthand how collaboration strengthens both learning and patient care.

“It was meaningful to connect with my colleagues in nursing and the medical students over the shared challenges and rigor of both programs,” said Rachel Miller, a Doctor of Nursing Practice candidate. “The relationships we build now will influence how future doctors and nurses collaborate and interact in practice.”

Formation as a foundation

Within the Inman College of Nursing, formation and collaboration are the foundations of experiential learning. Grounded in Belmont’s university-wide

and KNN’s Framework for Flourishing – both of which connect personal values to professional practice – students are shaped not only as clinicians, but as whole persons, developing character, resilience and the capacity to lead in complex health care environments.

“Our goal is to prepare nurses who can lead and sustain their practice in complex environments,” said Dr. Elizabeth Morse, who leads formation and flourishing efforts in the college of nursing. “Formation isn’t separate from clinical training – it’s what makes it meaningful.”

Morse noted that this foundation shaped how students engaged in the conference, not just as attendees, but as contributors.

“The students came back with a really thoughtful appreciation for what KNN is building and a stirred imagination for what interprofessional participation could be at Belmont,” said Morse.

A growing movement within healthcare

The presence of nursing students at the conference reflects a broader shift within KNN toward a more fully interprofessional vision.

“KNN has been instrumental in expanding the conversation from flourishing in medicine to flourishing in health,” said Robin Mutz, director of interprofessional education. “There’s a growing recognition that all health care providers need to be part of that work for the wellbeing of clinicians and the patients they serve.” 

Belmont has been an active partner in that effort, helping model what it looks like to bring multiple disciplines into a shared conversation about formation and flourishing.

As health care continues to evolve, experiences like the KNN Learner Conference are helping shape a new generation of professionals equipped to learn, lead and flourish together.