Formation of new alliance enhances ICN’s strong commitment to student and early career nurses

The International Council of Nurses Board of Directors has approved the formation of an innovative new ICN body representing student and early career nurses.

For many years, ICN has involved student and early career nurses in its work, through its Nursing Student Steering Group and Student Assembly during ICN Congress.

Now, the ICN Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses, embedded in ICN’s work, represents a significant additional investment in student and early career nurses. The Alliance will amplify their voices and enhance their influence on relevant issues in the work of ICN and its member National Nursing Associations (NNAs).

Many of our NNAs around the world have student and early career nurse members, and ICN is intent on growing their numbers and uniting them through this global Alliance.

The Alliance will increase the presence of the views and advice of student and early career nurses, which the ICN Board is eager to hear, building on important contributions they have already made to ICN policy including on the attractiveness of nursing as a career, the future of the profession, nursing education and climate change and health.

ICN President Dr Pamela Cipriano said: “The creation of the ICN Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses is a bold move that signals ICN’s commitment to current and future generations of nurses and their contribution to our work.

‘The Alliance provides a new and keenly awaited communication channel that will improve dialogue between nurses at the start of their careers and those in more senior and prominent positions. It will improve ICN’s intelligence and create the pathway for a new cadre of nurses who are ready, early in their careers, to take on the challenges facing nursing and health care, and to support the changing demographics of the global nursing workforce.”

The Alliance will ensure their unique and critical voice continues to be heard by ICN and the wider global nursing community, offering guidance to the Board to address relevant issues in global health and nursing policy.

Through the Alliance, student and early career nurses will be empowered and supported to meet the needs and promote the wellbeing of the world’s population, and the current and future nursing profession.

ICN will be asking NNAs to appoint individual nurses as representatives to the Alliance who will each serve a two-year term of service. The Alliance will have a steering committee made up of peer-elected representatives from each of the World health Organization’s regions, led by ICN’s Nursing and Health Policy Team.

We are working on transitioning to the new Alliance which, will be operational early next year and hold its first in-person meeting at ICN Congress in Helsinki, Finland, in June 2025.

Student and early career nurses who are interested in becoming involved or to keep updated about the Alliance should contact secn@icn.ch.