Skip to Content
About|
Search | Login
Powered By
  • Clinical Care
  • Professional Concepts
  • Outcomes in Action
  • AMSN Alerts
  • Podcast
  • Journal

AMSN Alerts
2025 AMSN Convention Keynote Preview: Kelsey Tainsh

2025 AMSN Convention Keynote Preview: Kelsey Tainsh

By Kelsey Tainsh, CSP

Kelsey Tainsh, CSP, will deliver the opening keynote, “I’m Not Limping. That’s Swagger!,” at the 2025 AMSN Convention, which takes place Sept. 11–13 in Austin, Texas. Get to know Kelsey and preview some key takeaways from her keynote here.

Tell us a little about yourself and your area of expertise.

I'm a two-time pediatric brain tumor survivor, a stroke survivor, motivational speaker, and para snowboarder. I have the pleasure of speaking all around the world to everyone from doctors and nurses to associations and corporations. My main area of expertise is gratitude and perspective, and particularly the patient experience.

Why is it important for 2025 AMSN Convention participants to attend your keynote? Without giving too much away, could you provide a few takeaways for attendees?

With what I've been through, again, two brain tumors and a stroke by the time I was 15, and now I'm about to have my fifth knee surgery, I’ve found that nurses are amazing. I have had the pleasure of speaking to some wonderful nurses, and I'm really looking forward to speaking to the medical-surgical nursing community. What nurses do is just amazing, and I don't think they always get the thanks and credit that they deserve.

I hope to be a reminder that with every patient they serve and help, they're making an incredible difference in their lives every day. I believe that life is about two things — being happy and helping others — and nurses do that every day. It's important to realize that life can be difficult sometimes, but when we focus on helping other people and the difference we make, that's what really matters, and I think that's why we're all here.

What about your keynote has you most excited?

I love my job as a speaker, but I especially love speaking to nurses. I wouldn't be anywhere without the nurses I had. When my brain tumor came back at 15, and I went to have surgery, I had a stroke and woke up paralyzed. I went from being a world champion wakeboarder to being completely paralyzed on the right side of my body.

When I woke up paralyzed, my nurses did everything for me. They dressed me, bathed me, fed me. And with the surgery, they held my hand as I was being put to sleep and made sure that I was OK. It was like it wasn't even their job; they were happy to do it. So, to have the opportunity to be a reminder to them that they're making an incredible difference and what they do really matters is something I look forward to every time I get to speak to nurses.

What are some guiding principles that have influenced your life and work, and how can medical-surgical nurses apply those to their own careers?

Again, first and foremost, I believe life is about being happy and helping others, and it's important that we remember that, especially in the hardest moments of our lives. I also think gratitude and perspective are really important, and when we're having those hard days, when we're struggling, it's important to remember why we do what we do and that the work we do matters, even when we are having a bad day. Another important concept is adapting and learning to do things differently.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you?

I left my corporate job to be a full-time professional speaker, and I've never looked back. I get to travel and speak all over the world and work with some amazing people who are making an incredible difference. To have that opportunity has been life changing for me, certainly, and I hope it has been for the people I've spoken to as well. I absolutely love what I do. My job is not a job; it's a passion.

Speaking to nursing organizations has given me the opportunity to give back and say thank you. I think the patient experience and the patient perspective are really important, but it's also important to remember that I wouldn't have those experiences and be able to share that story without these nurses. Frankly, I wouldn't be speaking here today without the nurses I had. Yes, I had great doctors and family and others supporting me, but I wouldn't be anywhere without my nurses.

Visit the AMSN website to register for the 2025 AMSN Convention. Secure the best rates when you register by June 30. Learn more about Kelsey on her website.

Content published on the Medical-Surgical Monitor represents the views, thoughts, and opinions of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses.

Kelsey Tainsh, CSP

Kelsey Tainsh, CSP, has been through more in her 34 years than most will endure in a lifetime. Successfully overcoming a brain tumor at only 5 years of age, Kelsey went on to be a happy, healthy kid and a champion athlete. Ten years later, at 15, it all came crashing down when the tumor returned, followed by a crippling stroke. Her friends had disappeared, her right side didn’t function, and she became paralyzed with fear and self-doubt. Despite her significant physical challenges, she worked hard to pull herself up and charged back into life, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Florida and going on to work for one of the most recognized companies in the world — The Coca-Cola Company.

Today, this remarkable young woman has become a champion for the rest of us. An acclaimed professional speaker and para snowboarder, Kelsey travels the world speaking to organizations and corporations about the power of persistence and perspective. Her clients include The Coca-Cola Company, Harvard Medical School, Society of Pediatric Nurses, Oncology Nursing Society, Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, and the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association.

AMSN Alerts | Keynote Speaker | 2025 AMSN Convention

You May Also Like

From Grant Recipient to AMSN Leader: How a Single Award Shaped My Medical-Surgical Journey

AMSN Alerts

From Grant Recipient to AMSN Leader: How a Single Award Shaped My Medical-Surgical Journey

By Dr. Kristi Campoe, Ph.D., R.N., CMSRN, CPHQ, MBA

Read More
The Power of Nursing at the Decision-Making Table

AMSN Alerts

The Power of Nursing at the Decision-Making Table

By Dr. Kristi Reguin-Hartman, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC

Read More
Addressing Critical Staffing Challenges: Launching the AMSN Medical-Surgical Nurse Staffing Task Force to Support Our Nurses and Improve Patient Care

AMSN Alerts

Addressing Critical Staffing Challenges: Launching the AMSN Medical-Surgical Nurse Staffing Task Force to Support Our Nurses and Improve Patient Care

By Monica van der Zee, BSN, RN, CMSRN; and DeLaura Padovan, BSN, RN, CMSRN

Read More
Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN)

About | Copyright © , Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN).

No materials, including graphics, may be reused, modified, or reproduced without written permission.

Login