Federation of Nurses/UFT members at a workshop.

Ciaran Staunton, whose son Rory died two years ago after a small cut he got at school became septic, brought tears to attendees’ eyes with his son’s story and his impassioned plea that all schools have a school nurse.

UFT Vice President Anne Goldman did not mince words in her indictment of the American health care system, which she said is “not intended to treat each person optimally” but rather “to ration care.”

Ciaran Staunton, whose son Rory died two years ago after a small cut he got at school became septic, with Christina Zill of the Visiting Nurse Service.

“We will never back down to those who think it is all about money. It’s not,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “It’s about the humanity of those who do the work and the humanity of those we serve.”

Dr. Gloria Boseman (standing), a registered nurse and a professor at New Jersey City University, has become an annual conference favorite with her entertaining — but very informative — sessions on cultural competency for health care practitioners.

Participants in the American Health Institute’s workshop on sepsis, which led to the death of 12-year-old Rory Staunton two years ago after a cut he got in gym class was not treated properly.

The New York City Labor Chorus kicks off the conference, as it does every year, with a medley of labor classics.

Several hundred nurses attend the Federation of Nurses/UFT’s annual Professional Issues Conference on Nov. 21 and 22 at The Westin in midtown Manhattan.

Conference participants listen to Mulgrew’s address.