Royal College of Nursing and the International Council of Nurses collaborate on education

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN), a federation of more than 140 national nurses’ associations, representing millions of nurses worldwide, have today signed a historic partnership agreement to boost nurse education and continuing professional development.

The agreement was signed today at the ICN bi-annual Congress in Helsinki by RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger and ICN Chief Executive Howard Catton.

The partnership will see ICN collaboration on learning and accreditation resources. The collaboration aims to influence the quality of nurse education and professional development on offer to an increased number of nursing staff globally.

Accreditation of education and continuous professional development is central to not only improving access to learning opportunities, but also in improving standards across the world. 

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said:

“I am delighted to be signing this new collaboration with the ICN. Nursing is an incredible career and giving even more of those in the profession access to world-class learning and development opportunities will, I hope, strengthen us even further.

“Being part of the ICN means the voice of nursing is heard even louder by governments and health leaders around the world. This collaboration makes us even stronger as we work together to give access to even more nursing staff to grow and develop their careers.”

ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton said:

“ICN is thrilled to launch this exciting and impactful partnership with RCN. The strength of this collaboration will be incredibly powerful in accelerating access to education and learning for nurses all around the world.

“The recent World Health Organization (WHO) State of the World’s Nursing (SOWN) report, as well as ICN’s own recent surveys and reports, show that while nurses are central to addressing the biggest global health challenges, the world is not doing enough to support their career development.

“We have an opportunity and also a responsibility to enable the world’s nurses to lead the change we so urgently need, which is why it is so important to create these strong, accessible pathways for nursing education and professional growth.

“The theme of our ICN Congress this week is Nursing Power to Change the World — and when we educate, we really do empower nurses to transform their communities, countries, and world at every level.”