West Florida Chapter

Areas Served

The West Florida Chapter of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association serves the Tampa Bay area.

Volunteer

Contact Karen to learn more about getting involved with the West Florida Chapter.

Chapter Background

Get to Know Your Chapter Leadership Team!

The West Florida PCNA Chapter was formed to serve as a place for all those with an interest in the prevention of cardiovascular disease to connect.  Together we collaborate on projects that will motivate and educate all participants – professionals such as pharmacists, dietitians, and exercise physiologists as well as the lay public.  We host free educational events each Fall and Spring.  These are targeted at Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses but are open to all.  We also act as a community resource regarding cardiovascular disease prevention.

We warmly welcome new members! Both members and non-members are welcome to attend chapter events and meetings. Membership is open to all healthcare professionals with an interest in cardiovascular care and prevention. Please join us at our next event and consider joining PCNA if you are not already a member.

Karen Laing, MS, RN, DipACLM, HWNC-BC, CHES, is a Clinical Nurse for HeartAware/Health Promotion at Bon Secours Mercy Health in Richmond, VA, where her focus is on primary prevention and early detection of cardiovascular disease.  She is also the owner of All Heart Coaching, where her clients are those at risk for heart disease who are ready to tweak their daily routines to avoid medications and a heart attack.  Karen graduated with her BSN from the University of Maryland at Baltimore and is a member of the Pi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.  She completed a Master’s in Health Promotion Management at Marymount University, Arlington, VA, and became a Certified Health Education Specialist.  Later Karen became a Holistic Nurse Baccalaureate Board Certified, a Health and Wellness Coach Board Certified, and a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.   She is a student in the DNP program at the University of South Florida (USF).  Karen is the President of the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at USF and was the recent past secretary of the RN/APRN Member Interest Group at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.  She was honored to co-author two chapters in the Lifestyle Nursing: Principles and Practice textbook.  As the mother of two teenagers, Karen’s current hobbies include Friday night high school football games and traveling to her daughter’s university campus for family events.