This workshop-based symposium will be led by GNLI Euro Alumni. It will build on the findings from our published works (Heaslip et al, 2024; Janes et al, 2024); a follow-on European sequential, multi-method, ‘state of the nations’ study of the implementation and impact of the WHO Digital Health Action Plan (WHO, 2022); and the ICN ‘call to action’ laid out in their nursing and digital health position statement (ICN, 2023).  

Following a brief presentation of these findings, we will facilitate a discussion with delegates in small groups, followed by a full plenary. The discussion will focus on: 

Hosted by: GNLI Alumni 

Language: English 

The nursing profession is a critical part of delivering global, high quality, and safe health care. The value that the profession provides to communities is through the sustainability of an available and highly educated workforce, which contributes to social policy and structures that underpin organizations and research. 

ICN’s Global Nursing Leadership Institute (GNLI) planned this session focusing on strategic policy leadership. The aim of the symposium is to showcase policy initiatives that have strengthened the political and policy position of nurses and their influence to lead impactful improvements that support sustainability.  

This session is framed by policy opportunities from regional GNLI Alumni in a global movement to continually improve hospital workforce education, social care, and research issues within our profession. The presentations and panel discussion will highlight the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, health disparities and gender equity, universal health care, and the World Health Organization’s Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery. 

This symposium offers important insights into the development of global policy that relates to our profession and global health. 

The workshop will be led by two experienced editors who will share valuable guidance and practical tips for successfully publishing in peer-reviewed journals. 

Hosted by: International Council of Nurses 

Language: English 

Interpretation: French and Spanish 

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) will present the newly updated definitions of "nursing" and "nurse" at this symposium, marking a historic moment in the profession's evolution.  

This session will explore the implications of these new definitions, highlighting how they reflect contemporary practice while honouring the foundational work that has shaped nursing globally. The presentation will delve into the careful consideration of language and terminology that defines the profession, and the process of developing these definitions to ensure they meet the needs of a dynamic and diverse global nursing community.  

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how these new definitions can be applied in various contexts, and their potential to guide the future of nursing practice, education, and policy worldwide. 

Hosted by: World Health Organization

Language: English 

Respiratory epidemics and pandemics are an ever-present threat. As the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates, these events can disrupt and overwhelm health systems and impact populations globally. Health care workers (HCWs) are often at increased risk and have to work in challenging environments with greater demands professionally. 

This symposium will explore intersections between pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) and occupational health and safety (OHS), with a dual focus: Firstly, the role of nurses delivering OHS services in primary health care (PHC) and secondly, the safety, health, and well-being of nurses as a key part of PPR, including access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). 

Expanding OHS coverage to all workers, including nurses, contributes towards PPR by increasing the resilience of populations and health systems, and enhancing the ability of workers (the majority of the world’s population) to seek care and access medical countermeasures such as vaccines during health emergencies.   

This session aims to increase awareness of existing resources and gaps, build capacity for nurses to deliver OHS services to workers and strengthen advocacy for health, safety and well-being provisions for nurses and HCWs.  

Attendees are invited to co-develop a job aide document for nurses delivering OHS services and a policy statement supporting the OHS of nurses and HCWs with particular reference to emergency, epidemic and pandemic contexts. 

Hosted by: American Nursing Association and International Nursing Review 

Language: English 

This session will offer a step-by-step guide to writing a scholarly journal article. Participants will learn how to generate ideas, create an outline for their manuscript, and navigate the publication process. Key topics include: 

The workshop will be led by two experienced editors who will share valuable guidance and practical tips for successfully publishing in peer-reviewed journals. 

Hosted by: American Nurses Association, Australia College of Nursing, Royal College of Nursing, Canadian Nursing Association

Language: English 

Interpretation: French and Spanish 

Nurse understaffing is a root cause of failure in retaining skilled nurses. This is one of the most pressing challenges facing health care systems worldwide. Nurse staffing policies are critical not only for addressing nursing shortages, but also for ensuring high-quality patient care, as well as improving organizational performance.  

This symposium addresses the realities and misconceptions surrounding nurse retention, providing practical insights, strategies, and policy levers for creating high-performing health care organizations that prioritize nursing excellence. By distinguishing fact from fiction, the session will equip participants with the knowledge to implement evidence-based policies and practices that enhance nurse satisfaction, health, and retention. 

Hosted by: International Council of Nurses 

Language: English 

The Leadership Centre symposium will serve as a dynamic launch event showcasing the Centre and its integral programmes, including ODENNA, Leadership For Change, the Global Nursing Leadership Institute, the Bank of Nursing Experts, and Alumni networks. This session will be packed with project showcases, testimonials, and interactive elements which highlight the transformative impact of these initiatives on leadership development. 

Hosted by: ICN Education Experts Advisory Committee 

Language: English 

The role of nurse educators in preparing the future generation of nurses is critical for a stronger, more diverse, resilient, and impactful nursing workforce.  Highlighting the critical role of nurse educators in preparing and sustaining the nursing workforce, this initiative focuses on establishing global standards for qualifications and competencies, supporting their continuous professional development, addressing workforce shortages through innovative approaches and policy measures, and tackling global challenges such as conflict and disasters to ensure quality education and improved patient outcomes.  

This session will explore innovative and technologically driven academic methods that improve the education of new nurses and identify policy implications that support the expansion and sustainability of the nursing workforce. 

Furthermore, this symposium will create a platform for the global community to address and agree on the essential role of nurse educators, and on strategies to support this role to alleviate the global nursing shortage. 

Hosted by: Royal College of Nursing 

Language: English 

Interpretation: French and Spanish 

This symposium will examine the contemporary challenges for nurses and nursing as a profession, notably, the value of nursing. Introducing the Royal College of Nursing’s new Institute of Nursing Excellence, the speakers will each explore the power and potential of nurses to impact change through the Institute’s five academies – activism, international, leadership, practice, and workforce – with education, research, and engagement being integral to each of these.   

The presenters, from nursing and multidisciplinary backgrounds, will share their expertise from a range of perspectives to set out their visions for nursing research. The Royal College of Nursing’s Institute of Nursing Excellence is a new and exciting innovation, offering a central hub for nurses and nursing both nationally and internationally. The Institute offers an exciting opportunity to tackle current nursing challenges; to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion, to demonstrate the value of nursing through leadership and global partnerships, and to use high quality evidence and education to influence and impact change. 

The MISSCARE Survey has been used in at least 30 countries outside the US, and in at least 17 languages besides English. The MISSCARE Survey has been used in Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and translated into the languages of those countries - all languages of the same Nordic origin. The translation process will be described, along with the challenges encountered for each country. The challenges centred around three main issues: the translation process, the cultural adaptation, and the construction of the instrument, with further identification of 10 sub-issues further described in the workshop. The workshop includes active participation from participants. 

Presenters will share first-hand experiences, operational best practices, and strategies to mobilize resources for sustainable impact. 

The session will also provide a platform to celebrate the successes of the #NursesforPeace campaign and engage stakeholders in collaborative discussions on expanding its reach and impact. 

Hosted by: Australian College of Nursing, Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation in conjunction with the Australian Government’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMillan PSM. 

Language: English 

In this session, speakers from Australia will first present the approach used for the development of Australia’s first National Nursing Workforce Strategy. They will discuss why a strategy is needed and detail the processes used to develop the strategy. The session will include details of governance structures, the use of collaborative partnerships, methodology used for building the evidence base (including that the approach was framed by nursing profession supply and demand modelling), drafting of the strategy and how to go about implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the strategy. 

The presenters will discuss their engagement with the profession, other health professions, consumers, and First Nations peoples. The session will include reflections on challenges and opportunities, what worked well, and lessons learnt from the process. 

The session will include a panel session to discuss Australia’s approach and how this compares with other countries who have done similar work. 

There will also be an audience question and answer session for attendees to explore the topic in greater depth with the panellists. 

Hosted by: Finnish Nurses Association 

Language: English 

Interpretation: French and Spanish 

During this session, the collaboration of a national consortium for benchmarking nursing-sensitive quality will be presented, together with a research project with five Finnish universities.  

All Finnish university hospitals started their collaboration in 2016 with the aim to nationally collect nursing-sensitive outcomes for benchmarking purposes. Since then, ten health care organizations have joined the consortium, covering 65% of public health care services in Finland. The focus of the Consortium is on internationally recognized and defined indicators to ensure international benchmarking in the future. 

Of the 15 consortium organizations, 12 are working with researchers of five universities in a project called Nursing Sensitive Indicators in Assessing and Developing Nursing Care Quality (NurSeInQual). The purpose of the research project is to describe and explain nursing sensitive indicators and related factors. In addition, the purpose is to identify the changes by time within the indicator data and possible influencing factors. 

Hosted by: International Council of Nurses 

Language: English 

The session explores the transformative potential of nursing data, showcasing the successes of the ICNP-SNOMED integration over the past five years. It highlights the hidden value of nursing data in improving patient safety, care transitions, and population health while addressing health equity challenges. The session will demonstrate how nurses, equipped with tools like ICNP and SNOMED, can drive data-driven care, innovate personalized interventions, and integrate AI tools into practice. This session will also highlight how the usage of uniformized language can drive harm reduction and patient safety. With 29 million nurses worldwide, this collaboration positions nursing data at the heart of global health transformation.  

We will call for action to advocate for the usage of ICNP/SNOMED at various organizational levels and ensure that proper vocabulary related to nursing is embedded in solutions proposed by providers, policy makers, regulators, and at user level.