The next generation of nurse leaders tackle pressing health challenges at ICN Student Assembly with new alliance of student and early career nurses

This weekend over 250 student and early career nurses from all around the world came together at the International Council of Nurses’ (ICN) biennial Student Assembly ahead of this week’s ICN Congress, 9–14 June, in Helsinki, Finland. The Assembly is a vital forum for student and early career nurses to share their insights and shape the future of nursing through ICN and its national nurses’ association (NNA) members.

This year marked the first-ever participation of ICN’s new Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses (ICN SECN Alliance), a body created to amplify the voice of this next generation of leaders and empower them so that they are ready to tackle the world’s most pressing health issues.

Under the banner “The Power of Student Nurses to Change the Landscape of Nursing”, Student Assembly participants exchanged actionable ideas on urgent global health challenges and reported on their discussions to ICN’s governing body, the Council of National Nursing Association Representatives (CNR).

ICN’s Policy Analyst Gill Adynski, who organized the event, commented:

“Today’s meeting reaffirmed the vision, talent, and growing influence of student and early career nurses as the global health leaders of the future. The Student Assembly participants, including ICN’s SECN Alliance, had hugely productive discussions on the interconnected challenges facing student and early career nurses, including financial struggles, the risk of burnout due to high-pressure environments, and the need to improve support for transition to practice.

‘The Student Assembly also provided important perspectives on urgent and complex issues, including providing culturally-competent care for women and LGBTQIA+ communities, protecting nurses in conflict zones, and working to address patterns of nurse migration which exacerbate inequalities. As one of our representatives said, the ICN Assembly and SECN Alliance reflect a generation of nurses who see themselves not only as caregivers, but also as global health advocates seeking meaningful and lasting change.

‘By bringing their insights to ICN’s CNR, student and early career nurses’ voices were heard by global nursing leaders at the highest level and will directly inform ICN’s policies and programmes.”

ICN’s CEO Howard Catton emphasized the influence and impact of the Student Assembly and ICN SECN Alliance. He remarked:

“The Alliance and Assembly are about making the voices and views of the next generation of nurses heard loud and clear and empowering them to take an active role in co-creating the future of health care.

‘For ICN and its member associations to continue to flourish, we must nurture the next generation of nurse leaders. ICN is now celebrating reaching 140 NNA members worldwide, and we are proud to support today’s student and early career nurses as the bold changemakers who will lead these associations and represent their regions in the decades to come.”