Yakima Young-Shields

Yakima Young-Shields, assistant teaching professor of nursing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was named Member of the Year 2009 by the Missouri Nurses Association during its fourth biennial convention in Osage Beach, Mo.

Young-Shields, of Florissant, Mo., said she is a proud member of MONA and encourages other nurses to get involved with the organization.

“I believe that it is very important for nurses licensed to practice in the state of Missouri to support MONA,” she said. “MONA offers support to nurses in each corner of the state by keeping them informed of: continuing education, clinical practice updates, state legislative issues and patient advocacy issues. I appreciate our outgoing president Mary Berhorst, and MONA’s Chief Executive Officer Jill Kliethermes for providing outstanding leadership to MONA members.”

Young-Shields has worked at UMSL’s College of Nursing since 2002. She also is a nurse at the North County Medicine and Rheumatology in Florissant. She earned her licensed nurse practitioner and registered nurse certifications at Sanford-Brown College in St. Louis, her bachelor’s in nursing from Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo., and her master’s in nursing and doctorate in education from UMSL.

Visit http://www.missourinurses.org/ for information about MONA.