p64w43_CAREERS 24/06/2011 11:26 Page 64

LEARNING GLOBAL TRENDS

The ICN Nursing Education Network is tackling some crucial issues, writes Kath McCourt
Until recently, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) professional groups or networks met every two years at the councils biennial congress. The networks aim to track global trends, identify problems early, monitor issues and provide expert solutions to colleagues. However, global progress on almost every health issue has become so rapid that two-yearly catch-ups with colleagues are no longer sufficient to keep pace with the changes. The ICNs 12 professional networks now communicate via the councils online forums so that when members do meet, as they did at this years congress in Malta, progress on the topic is already advanced. ICN chief executive David Benton and Linda Burnes Bolton, chief nursing officer at Cedars-Sinai Health System in Los Angeles, introduced the network meeting. The chair of the 700-strong ICN Nursing Education Network, Virginia Adams, who is an adviser to the United States-based National League for Nursing, and her six steering committee colleagues, then summarised the networks global concerns and priorities. They are: 4 Role of nurse educators worldwide. 4 Quality of nursing education. of students and lifelong learners. Although not solely their concern, nurse educators play a large part in ensuring workforce stability in the face of demographic and resource fluctuations.

Simulation learning
In the move away from acute hospital care, a global reduction in traditional clinical placements and delays in substituting these with community placements have been accompanied by a heavy reliance on simulation. Network members wanted to explore alternatives to well-established learning placements, such as the use of simulation, and to see a great deal more research on their effectiveness and safety. The ICN education network continues to explore these issues via its website (see box) so that members can learn from each other and resolve dilemmas. Notes of the meeting will be available on the website soon and the next network bulletin will be published in the autumn. The ICN website serves as a communication tool, providing updates and new information Membership of the ICN Nursing Education Network is open to all nurse educators and others interested in nursing education.

Kath McCourt outlines the networks concerns and priorities

4 Challenges of integrating education and practice. 4 International shortage of nurses and nurse educators.

NURSE EDUCATORS PLAY A LARGE PART IN ENSURING WORKFORCE STABILITY IN THE FACE OF RESOURCE FLUCTUATIONS
The global shortage of nurse educators is precipitated by several factors: increased migration, poor promotion of education as a career, the challenging nature of academic careers which now include teaching, management and research and the growing demands and expectations The most recent membership count totalled 732 members from 87 countries NS Kath McCourt is dean of the school of health, community and education studies at Northumbria University, and a member of the ICN Nursing Education Networks steering committee NURSING STANDARD

RESOURCE FILE
4ICN Nursing Education Network www.icn.ch/networks/ nursing-education-network 4National League for Nursing www.nln.org/aboutnln/index.htm 4Centre for Workforce Intelligence www.cfwi.org.uk 64 june 29 :: vol 25 no 43 :: 2011

BARNEY NEWMAN

Copyright of Nursing Standard is the property of RCN Publishing Company and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.