October 13, 2022

The Queen Silvia Nursing Award (QSNA)

The Queen Silvia Nursing Award (QSNA) is internationally recognized as one of the highest honors bestowed upon nurses and nursing students in the field of dementia care. The award, originating in Sweden, acknowledges awardees’ commitment to fostering compassionate and innovative nursing care for older adults, particularly those living with dementia. The QSNA is far more than a monetary scholarship of $6,500. The winning scholar will also have opportunities to collaborate with the UW Dementia & Palliative Education Network (DPEN) team on dementia related projects, acting as a spokesperson for the geriatric nursing profession, and will be tasked with inspiring future generations of nurses to enter this critically important field. To be awarded the QSNA is to be given unparalleled recognition as a nursing student or nurse whose career will combine creativity, problem-solving, and innovation to benefit people, families, and communities who are living with dementia.

I invite you to read more about Michael Drake, our recent award recipient and his experience.

Although this was UW SoN’s second year of representing the US in competition for the QSNA award, pandemic travel restrictions previously precluded our ability to participate in the international ceremony. This year the UW delegation was very delighted to travel to Sweden in September 2022 to attend the ceremony honoring the awardees and engage in global networking.

During this trip, the UW SoN administration finalized plans for an undergraduate student exchange with the Karolinska Institute (KI) Global Baccalaureate program, UW SoN senior BSN students, Excellence in Long Term Care Externs. They will have an opportunity to shadow dementia nurses in Sweden, and the KI students will work with our dementia care nurses in the US. This program is one of several student exchange opportunities with premiere European universities that will be offered to the UW SoN students. We are also creating plans for a faculty exchange and research partnerships between the UW SoN and the KI nursing.

Thank you for the philanthropic support of our donors who make this important work possible. Special thanks to the Jane Isakson Lea Foundation representatives who accompanied the UW SoN delegation to the 2022 QSNA Grand Ceremony in Stockholm.

If you are a registered nurse UW alum, or UW SoN nursing student and are interested in applying, click here.