07/02/2025

IHCNO President's Message

We welcome Crystal Oldman to the office of Vice President and to the Board of Directors. Crystal lives in London, England. Her first activity in the role is to assist with planning and implementing an in-person nursing conference in London June 17-19, 2026, in collaboration with City St. George’s, University in London and the Association of District Nurse and Community Nurse Educators (ADNE). You can read more about Crystal and the 2026 conference in separate articles in this newsletter.

In additional international activity, several members of IHCNO attended the International Council of Nurses (ICN) biennial congress in Helsinki, Finland from June 9 to 13. The theme of the congress was Nursing Power to Change the World. About 7,000 nurses from 130 countries took part in educational sessions, sharing experiences and supporting each other. 

Congress subthemes in over 500 presentations explored nursing leadership, healthcare quality, nursing education, and the impact of technologies. Impactful presentations I attended addressed the need for nurses to adopt technologies that enhance patient care and operational efficiency, core competencies and professional ethics of nurses worldwide, and the nursing workforce and migration between countries. We also heard from the Chief Nursing Officer at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kateryna Komar. Her emotional presentation honored the bravery of Ukrainian nurses and expressed gratitude for the compassion of nurses around the world.

The leadership of IHCNO in attendance included Marilyn Harris, Mary Narayan, Barbara Piskor, and me. Networking opportunities reconnected us in person with colleagues and brought us together with home care nurses who were new to us. 

Following the theme of the power of nurses, the solidarity of practicing nurses and global leaders learning from each other will change the world. IHCNO brings together nurses within the specialty practice of home-based nursing care. I invite you to become an active individual- or organizational-member of IHCNO. We have the power to improve nursing knowledge and practice, saving lives and helping our patients be healthy and safe at home.

Susan Hinck PhD APRN GCNS-BC

IHCNO President