Standing before nurse leaders, educators, and students at the Kentucky State University, Dr. Kelli Selvage, Dean of Galen’s Kentucky campuses, delivered a clear message: nursing leaders are not waiting for change — they are creating it.
Invited to speak alongside some of the top nursing education leaders in the state, Dr. Selvage represented Galen College of Nursing as a voice for access, innovation, and advocacy within the profession. She underscored Galen’s commitment to not only educating today’s nursing workforce, but actively advocating for the future of nursing across Kentucky.
Dr. Selvage spoke during Nurses Day at the Capitol, an annual advocacy event hosted by the Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA). The event brings together nurses, nursing students, educators, and healthcare leaders in Frankfort to engage directly with legislators, learn about the legislative process, and advance policy priorities that strengthen patient care, workforce sustainability, and community health across the Commonwealth.
Each year, Nurses Day at the Capitol highlights the essential role nurses play in shaping healthcare policy. This year’s theme, “Nurse Leaders: Breaking Barriers, Promoting Change, Impacting Lives,” framed a day focused on collaboration, education, and advocacy — and closely aligned with the mission Dr. Selvage shared from the podium.
In her address, Dr. Selvage emphasized that Galen exists for one clear purpose: educating nurses at every stage of their professional journey.
“Every nurse we graduate represents thousands of patients they will care for over a lifetime,” Dr. Selvage shared. “Nurse leaders are essential to Kentucky’s healthcare future.”
From practical nursing and associate and bachelor’s degrees through master’s and doctoral education, Dr. Selvage highlighted Galen’s commitment to workforce development, access, and advancement — ensuring that students are prepared not only to enter the profession, but to grow and lead within it.
“Our students are not traditional students alone,” she shared. “They are working adults. Parents. First-generation college students. Rural students. Career-changers.”
Dr. Selvage and fellow nursing leaders also took time to recognize the nursing students in attendance, encouraging them to engage in advocacy early in their careers.
Dr. Selvage’s remarks also reinforced the idea that nursing education and advocacy are inseparable. Preparing nurses to succeed means equipping them not only with clinical skills, but with the knowledge and confidence to engage in policy conversations that shape their profession.
“Promoting change means preparing nurses not just to pass exams, but to lead care teams, improve outcomes, and respond to evolving community needs,” she noted.
That message resonated throughout the day as nurse leaders, students, and legislators discussed KNA’s four current legislative priorities, including:
Additional speakers throughout the day reinforced the urgency of these priorities, including discussions on rural health disparities, concerns around workplace safety for nurses in academic medical centers, and the importance of nurses educating legislators on real-world challenges facing the profession.
Learn more about the Kentucky Nurses Association, current legislative priorities, and opportunities to support and engage in nursing advocacy across the Commonwealth:
Kentucky Nurses Association & Advocacy Resources
https://www.kentucky-nurses.org
https://kentucky-nurses.nursingnetwork.com/page/legislative-affairs
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