2026 Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference Featured Sessions
We look forward to seeing you in Dallas, TX for the Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference from Saturday, March 21 to Tuesday, March 24, 2026!
Saturday, March 21
SCRN Review Course
This pre-conference session is an extra-cost event, not included in the 2026 Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference registration fee.
9 am-4 pm CT
Speaker: Michelle Dedeo, DNP RN ARNP-CNS ACCNS-AG CCRN SCRN
Member: $150
Non-Member: $200
The SCRN Review Course will provide a comprehensive review of stroke content for nurses preparing for the SCRN® exam as well as for nurses interested in updating, enhancing,and increasing their knowledge base in stroke patient care settings.
Stroke Coordinator Boot Camp
This pre-conference session is an extra-cost event, not included in the 2026 Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference registration fee.
9 am- 4 pm CT
Speakers: Erin Conahan, MSN RN ACNS-BC CNRN SCRN PHRN, and Claranne Mathiesen, MSN RN CNRN SCRN FAHA
Member: $150
Non-Member: $200
Calling all new and experienced recruits! This pre-con is designed to provide education specific to the role of the stroke coordinator. Sessions will focus on the evolving role of the stroke coordinator, tactics for successful program and meeting management, integration of data and research, and hot topics in stroke care and certification. Collaborate with colleagues from across the country to improve stroke care and leverage the coordinator role to lead successful stroke teams. View the agenda for this session now! Please note: the agenda for this session changes each year. If you have attended previously, you will get a new experience from previous years!
Advanced Stroke Life Support (ASLS®) Blended Learning Course
Choose your time slot from 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, or 1 pm. You will receive an email on March 15th with your assigned time slot.
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is offering an opportunity to become an ASLS Provider through a special training event. The Advanced Stroke Life Support (ASLS®) Blended Learning Course educates healthcare professionals to identify, evaluate, and manage patients with stroke. ASLS is appropriate for all in-hospital and prehospital healthcare professionals involved in the management of acute stroke patients and meets the education requirements for Stroke Center Certification.
Who Should Attend?
Healthcare professionals who specialize in stroke care and are interested in advanced stroke education including Stroke Coordinators and nurses who work in stroke units.
Details:
• Opportunity to apply for CE credits
• ASLS Provider eCard will be issued upon successful completion of the course
• Online Provider course must be completed prior to attending
• ASLS Provider Manual eBook and ASLS Digital Reference Guide included as resources in online portion of the course
• Online Provider course to be purchased separately by attendee
View the flyer for more information. Register for the ASLS Course.
Free to Register + Online Course Purchase Required by Attendee*
*Attendees must select one of the following ASLS Online courses to purchase and complete by March 20th in order to be tested at the ASLS Provider Course Precon associated with AANN.
ASLS Online: In-Hospital Provider
ASLS Online: Prehospital & In-Hospital Provider
Sunday, March 22
Opening Session
The Making of Medical Heroes: A Story of Hope, Healing, and Teamwork
Join Jim Tracy as he shares a deeply personal and powerful journey that transformed pain into purpose. Through the story of his wife’s medical crisis—a vertebral artery tear—Jim takes us behind the scenes of a complex case, highlighting the critical moments, key decisions, and collaborative efforts that shaped the outcome. Along the way, he introduces the challenges (“the villains”) and celebrates the heroes—the medical professionals whose choices made all the difference. Jim’s story offers an inspiring look at resilience, teamwork, and what it truly means to be a medical hero for patients and their families.
Tuesday, March 24
Closing Session
I’m Not Limping. That’s Swagger
10:20-11:20 am CT
Speaker: Kelsey Tainsh
A two-time pediatric brain tumor and stroke survivor, the story of Kelsey’s journey back and her relationship with her nurses, doctors and healthcare providers along the way, is both remarkable and inspiring. Kelsey gives an amazing patient account, while offering a unique and actionable message on gratitude and perspective. Her story is an important reminder of the difference nurses, doctors and healthcare providers make in the lives of their patients everyday. Armed with her quirky sense of humor, engaging stories and relevant message, Kelsey equips healthcare teams with the tools to foster empathy, strengthen relationships, and approach their work with renewed gratitude and a revitalized sense of purpose.
AANN is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. All CE contact hours are subject to change as the Annual Conference approaches.