2026 STN Professional Branding Course

2026 STN Professional Branding Course - Register Now!

 STN is pleased to announce a new Professional Branding course, beginning on August 10, 2026. This 4-week, on-demand course offers an engaging and interactive experience designed to help nurses stand out in today’s evolving healthcare landscape through strengthened professional branding strategies. The course is well suited for new or experienced nurses who wish to refresh their professional image and position themselves for new roles, promotions, or professional opportunities, including committee appointments.

 By the end of the course, you will have thoughtfully developed a comprehensive packet designed to strengthen your key professional documents— including letters, résumés, CVs, bios, and portfolios. Experienced moderators will provide constructive, individualized feedback based on extensive interviewing experience, ensuring each document is polished, impactful, and ready for immediate use in support of career advancement. This collaborative process is designed to produce high-quality, practical tools that support long-term professional success. During Week 4, participants will complete a personalized mock interview using their newly developed materials and receive targeted feedback to further build confidence and strengthen their professional identity.

 The course spans four weeks, with an estimated workload of up to 5 hours per week. The distribution is as follows:

• Week 1: Introduction to Professional Branding and how it is important for career advancement and leadership growth with creation of an effective resume/CV
• Week 2: Professional Portfolio and the importance of Social Media
• Week 3: Preparation for effective interviewing
• Week 4: Participation in a mock interview with moderators based on participant choice of application, using new participant application/interview supporting documents.

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Define why Professional Branding is crucial in today’s competitive market of career advancement and leadership growth
• Understand what leaders are looking for when reviewing these documents
• Identify differences between resume and CV; determining requirements and components needed for a resume and/or CV; identifying which position type a CV or resume would fit best for
• Create or revise personal CV/resume
• Understand important points of a professional portfolio and how it will be effective to your target audience
• Understand the benefits of having an ePortfolio and how social media plays a role in talent management
• Understand the Importance of the expectations and role demands prior to applying
• Identify common pitfalls in the application process
• Learn how to apply for committee or board appointments
• Develop strategies to prepare effectively for an upcoming interview
• Create a cover letter to accompany your CV and/or résumé
• Write a professional follow‑up Thank You letter
• Participants will finish the course with complete, corrected, and professional CVs, bios, resumes, cover letters, thank you letters, and portfolios
• Participants will have the opportunity to complete a virtual mock interview with the course moderators and receive feedback based on the learnings from this course

Moderators

• Melissa Hall, MSN, RN, Trauma Program Director
  [email protected]
• Elizabeth Freeman, MHA, RN, TCRN Trauma Program Director
  [email protected]
• Gay Kurtz MSN, RN, LSSBB, CNL, CEN Trauma Program Manager
  [email protected]
• Robin Hazlett BSN, RN Trauma Program Manager
  [email protected]

All presentations will be pre-recorded for on-demand viewing. However, course moderators will remain actively involved throughout the program, providing interactive support and personalized feedback. To progress through the course and complete it successfully, participants are expected to actively engage in discussions and complete all assigned assessments by the suggested due date for each module. It is important to stay on track each week, as each module builds upon the last.

IT Requirements

• For PC-based participants: Internet Explorer 10.0 or above, latest version of Mozilla Firefox, or latest version of Google Chrome (JavaScript enabled). Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection.
• For Mac-based participants: Latest version of Safari, Firefox, or Google Chrome (JavaScript enabled). A cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection is necessary.

Responsibilities/Key Activities

• View all recorded sessions for each module and complete the associated post-session learning activities, including assigned readings, discussion board participation, application exercises, and other required assignments.
• Commit to spending up to 5 hours per module, reading materials, preparing for sessions, viewing videos, and completing assignments.

Continuing Education Credit

The Society of Trauma Nurses is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

 This program will provide 20.0 contact hours of continuing nursing education. All assignments and final evaluation must be completed to receive CNE for this program. No partial credit will be awarded.

 Space is limited to the first 20 registrants (10 minimum registrants).

The deadline to register is Friday, August 7, 2026
The course will begin on Monday, August 10, 2026

The registration fee is $200 for STN members and $325 for non-members. The non-member rate will include 1-year of membership to the Society of Trauma Nurses.