By Darcey Rodriguez, 2022 UNYOC Conference Planning Chair
Since 2019, the Upstate New York and Ontario Chapter (UNYOC) planning committee learned the necessity of being nimble and ready to adjust after two years of virtual conferences. Once the decision was made to hold the first in-person meeting, the planning committee got to work. Members of UNYOC joined together in Rochester, NY, at the R.I.T. Inn and Conference Center October 26-28, 2022, at our annual meeting.
Our conference opened on October 26, with a CE session from Dr. Lyle Q. Foster on 'Critical Conversations: Building Workplace Communication Skills'. This session provided our members with information about communication and how to build skills in having difficult conversations. Participants also worked on developing reflecting listening and relaxation skills. Participants were able to earn MLA CE credits for their participation.
Dr. Mary Carey was the keynote speaker on Thursday, October 27. A trained critical care nurse, a faculty member at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and director of the Clinical Nursing Research Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Carey provided attendees with a session that shared her insight on how librarians can impact nursing research, how libraries support the Academic Practice Partnership, and how this plays a role in Magnet designation. Throughout the rest of the day, members spent time reconnecting with one another while listening to presentations from our membership, enjoying lunch, and engaging with the vendors who joined us. We also had our first-ever member panel that discussed what we did and didn't learn while attending school. We ended the evening with a banquet dinner and honored Amy Lyons with the Katy Nesbit Service Award and Mary Jo Russell as a UNYOC Fellow.
Friday, October 28, kicked off with keynote speaker Beatriz Lebron who talked about developing sustainable impact through community health work. She shared the consistency and daily work that is required to navigate trauma, violence, addiction, and poverty. She also shared how community health work looks at the whole self and supports individuals through the lens of social determinants of health. Beatriz is the Vice-President of the RCSD Board of Education and executes Healthi Kids' Play ROCs campaign. We spent the rest of the day enjoying presentations from our members, learned more from vendors, participated in a raffle, and ended the day with a tour of the Mt. Hope Cemetery.
We were thrilled to see so many familiar and new faces in Rochester for the conference. Our group is hard at work planning for 2023 in Clayton, NY, and look forward to connecting and learning together once again.
