---
title: The Power of Nurses – And How Northwest AHEC Can Empower You
description: Celebrate National Nurses Week with Northwest AHEC. Discover how we support and empower nurses with continuing education, career development, and appreciation initiatives. Thank you, nurses!
---

[What's New at NWAHEC](https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/blog)

# [The Power of Nurses – And How Northwest AHEC Can Empower You](https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/blog/nursesweek2025)

 Written by [Brooke Kochanski](https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/blog/author/brooke-kochanski) | May 5, 2025 12:30:00 PM

**Thank you, Nurses!**  
If you’re a nurse, we want to take a moment to say THANK YOU. We see your commitment, compassion, and resilience—and we appreciate everything you do to care for others, often in challenging circumstances.

**National Nurses Week** takes place May 6–12, 2025, and it's a time to honor the vital contributions of nurses. Whether you're a nurse, healthcare professional, patient, or someone who simply recognizes the critical role nurses play in our lives and communities, this is the perfect time to show your gratitude.

**Northwest AHEC Appreciation Giveaway 🎉**

As a token of our appreciation, **sign up for our [Nursing Continuing Education email list](https://share.hsforms.com/16F72ZaBBRBqAda7M--9l9w4ewk6)**and you’ll be entered to win a Northwest AHEC Swag Bag filled with goodies!  
**Want an extra entry? Find our Nurses Week post on social media and share it!**  
📅 *Winner will be announced Friday, May 9th.*

**How Northwest AHEC Supports Nurses**

The **Northwest Area Health Education Center (Northwest AHEC)** of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides education and training to support a strong, skilled healthcare workforce—especially in rural and underserved communities across our 17-county region in Northwest North Carolina.

Whether you’re just exploring nursing as a career, actively practicing, or returning to the field, **we’re here to support you at every step.**

**Here’s How We Empower Nurses:**

- **Continuing Professional Development** – We offer high-quality programs—available in-person, via live webinars, or on-demand—for nurses seeking contact hour for license renewal. Many are low-cost or even free!  
  Featured Courses: 
    - [The High Risk Newborn: Sharing the Care – live webinar 5/14/25](http://northwestahec.org/74603)
    - [2025 Aging Well Conference – Boone, NC 5/15/25](https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/agingwell)
    - [Clinical Instructor Partner Course – blended learning begins 9/03/25](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevaluations.ncahec.net%2Fs3%2FClinical-Instructor-Partner-Program-2025-Cohort-8&data=05%7C02%7C%7C723d831605a84d024f6308dd7c3ccf4f%7C58b3d54f16c942d3af081fcabd095666%7C1%7C0%7C638803322796839003%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8lQV3JmPWgyKrIs2V0VjWXJCLsZvFyPcC22p9eFR8CA%3D&reserved=0)
    - [After Discharge: Maternal and Infant Assessment in the Home – live webinar 9/9/25](https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/t3/courses-and-events/75325/after-discharge-maternal-and-infant-assessment-in-the-home)
    - [Iredell Health System 7th Cardiovascular Conference – Statesville, NC 9/17/25](https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/t3/courses-and-events/74255/iredell-health-system-7th-cardiovascular-conference)
    - [Basic Fetal Monitoring – Winston-Salem, NC 10/1/25](https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/t3/courses-and-events/74986/basic-fetal-monitoring-fall-2025)
    - [43rd Annual Perinatal Conference: Gravidas at Risk – Hickory, NC 11/5 and 11/6/25](https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/gravidas)
    - 27th Annual Diabetes Management Conference – Winston-Salem, NC 11/14/2025 *Registration opening soon!*
    - Rural Health Nursing Conference – live webinar 11/14/25 *Registration opening soon!  *
    - [22nd Annual NC AHEC Academic Progression Conference 2/26/26 - Get $25 During Nurses Week!](https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/417e62cf34ef4d5b9df55c71e5f94c38)
    - Nurturing the Nurturers – Winston-Salem, NC 3/20/26 *Registration opening soon!*
    - [Double Trouble: Diabetes and Falls – free online learning](https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/t3/courses-and-events/74707/double-trouble-diabetes-and-falls)
    - [Screening and Intervening for Unmet Social Needs – free online learning  ](http://northwestahec.org/71591)
    - Safe or Silent? – free online learning
    - [Falls: Screening, Risk Assessment and Care Planning for Older Patients in the Community – free online learning](https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/t3/courses-and-events/71419/falls-screening-risk-assessment-and-care-planning-for-older-patients-in-the-community)
    - [Nurse Educator Institute – online learning](https://northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/t3/courses-and-events/74031/nurse-educator-institute?searchParams=%7B%22json%22%3A%7B%22search%22%3A%22%22%2C%22start_date%22%3A%221900-01-01T00%3A00%3A00.000Z%22%2C%22end_date%22%3A%221900-01-01T00%3A00%3A00.000Z%22%2C%22credit_types%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22regions%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22disciplines%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22structures%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%2C%22meta%22%3A%7B%22values%22%3A%7B%22start_date%22%3A%5B%22Date%22%5D%2C%22end_date%22%3A%5B%22Date%22%5D%7D%7D%7D)
    - Sweet Success: A Deeper Look at Diabetes in Primary Care - two part online modules coming soon
- **Health Careers/Workforce Development** – We provide programs for high school and college students interested in exploring nursing and other health careers. [Read More](https://school.wakehealth.edu/education-and-training/continuing-professional-education/northwest-ahec/health-careers-and-workforce-diversity)
- **NC AHEC RN Refresher Program** - Assists registered nurses with lapsed or inactive licenses, as well as active RNs seeking to update their knowledge and skills, in returning to the nursing profession. [Read More](https://www.ncahec.net/rnrefresher/)
- **Northwest AHEC Consortium for Clinical Education and Practice (CCEP)** - We bring together clinical and educational partners to collaborate and improve clinical education opportunities for Nursing and Allied Health programs. [Read More](https://www.wakeahec.org/hctriangeclinical.htm)

**To all nurses—we see you, we support you, and we thank you.**  
[Let us know](mailto:ahecmktg@wakehealth.edu) how Northwest AHEC can continue to empower you in your journey.

**A Special Thank You to Our Northwest AHEC Nursing Staff**

HUGE shoutout and THANK YOU to our brilliant nurses on staff here at Northwest AHEC. Your dedication, expertise, and passion make a difference—not just in our department, but across the entire region. We are so grateful for the work you do to support and strengthen the nursing profession.

- Stephanie Poindexter, MSN, RN – Nurse Educator
- Ellen Zimmerman, MSN, RN, CHSE – Nurse Educator / RN Refresher Coordinator
- Alana Dodson, MBA, RN – Nurse Educator
- Leslie D. McDowell, DNP, ANP-BC, RN – Quality Improvement Specialist / QI Curriculum Coordinator

Thank you for being leaders, mentors, and advocates. We appreciate you!

[View full post](https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/blog/nursesweek2025)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Brooke Kochanski"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-05-05T16:32:02.733Z",
  "datePublished" : "2025-05-05T12:30:00Z",
  "headline" : "The Power of Nurses – And How Northwest AHEC Can Empower You",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 1200,
    "url" : "https://7413846.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7413846/Nurses%20Week.png",
    "width" : 1200
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://go.northwestahec.wakehealth.edu/blog/nursesweek2025",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "What's New at NWAHEC"
  }
}
```