The Georgia Association of Nursing Students (GANS) is the Georgia branch of the National Student Nurse Association (NSNA), which includes nursing students from the state of Georgia. GANS strives to assist nursing education, provide quality healthcare, provide programs of professional and fundamental interest and concerns, and aid in the development of nursing students as a whole, both medically and professionally. GANS consists of four districts: North District, South District, East District, and West District.

In 1943, the Department of Nursing Education began in Athens, Georgia, as part of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Education. In 1956, the department transferred from UGA to the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and became the School of Nursing in Augusta, Georgia. After nearly 20 years, in 1974, MCG opened a satellite campus in Athens for the program, known as the School of Nursing Athens (SONAT). Today, the program is known as the Augusta University College of Nursing Athens (CONAT). SONAT became a chapter of the GANS East District, known to some as GANS-SONAT. GANS-SONAT helps nursing students network through activities such as career fairs, and also participates in community service events to help local citizens and students, such as Relay for Life.