Robert Adams, BSN, RN, EMT-P, CEN, is the 2024 Emerging Professional Liaison to the Emergency Nurses Association Board of Directors, serving in a non-voting role. 

Adams was born and raised primarily in and around San Antonio, Texas. He was adopted and eventually relocated to east Texas where he currently resides with his husband. Adams graduated from The University of Texas at Tyler with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, holds an associate’s degree of applied science in general studies from Tyler Junior College and is currently working on his master’s in nursing education through Western Governors University. 

Adams is a second-career professional having spent more than 14 years in emergency medical services before entering nursing. After graduating with his BSN, he joined ENA in March 2020 and, soon after, became involved with Texas ENA. He has served the vice-chair and chair of the nursing practice committee. He previously served on ENA’s Emerging Professional Advisor Council and was a General Assembly alternate delegate and delegate for Texas in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

For the past four years, he has worked in Level I and Level II trauma facilities for UT Health East Texas-Tyler and Christus Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler. Recently, he has served as the assistant director of nursing for a local rehabilitation and skilled nursing facility in Tyler while also maintaining a PRN status in the emergency department. 

Adams comes to the ENA Board of Directors with unique perspectives based on his experiences with pre-hospital and hospital-based emergency medicine. Honored and excited to represent emerging professionals on the board, Adams is passionate about promoting the importance of emotional well-being and resilience among nurses from the start of their careers. He believes that importance grows when a nurse enters leadership roles with the opportunity to create healthy work environments that can reduce burnout, enhance job satisfaction and improve patient care. Those priority allowing emergency department to recruit, retain and promote emerging professionals within emergency nursing.

Term as Emerging Professional Liaison: January 2024 - December 2024

To reach Robert, please contact him at robert.adams@board.ena.org.