| Reflections:
ICN Internship
(Summer 2004)
Source: Katherine T. Fillo
During my summer internship experience at the International
Council of Nurses (ICN) in Geneva, my central project was
to disseminate research on nursing orientations and utilize
the information gathered to develop recommendations for guidelines
for appropriate nursing orientations. The purpose of this
project is to ensure that all nurses who enter a new employment
environment, whether they are recently graduated, experienced
but beginning in a different clinical place or international,
receive adequate support during their transition. The literature
reviewed overwhelmingly supported a preceptor-facilitated
orientation for all groups of new nurses where an experienced
nurse familiar with the setting works individually with the
orientee. Each subset of nurses such as new graduates or
internationally migrated nurses requires specifically tailored
orientation components. I presented the findings of the project
to Myrielle Kingma, the nurse consultant for socioeconomic
welfare.
In addition to developing guidelines for appropriate nursing
orientation, I completed several other projects. I wrote
an informative piece for the “Nursing Innovation” series
on primary health care. This two-page evidence-based fact
sheet detailed the critical role of nurses in providing health
services in the community setting. For the ICN fact sheet
series, Elyssa Vasas and I developed a three-page piece explaining
the harmful effects of commonly used disinfectants and sterilants
in the clinical environment. We also constructed the brochure
that will be used for the ICN Innovations Database being
launched in May 2005. I reviewed comments collected by nurse
experts and national nursing associations for two position
statements, strike policy and socioeconomic welfare, and
then used the input to revise the outdated statements. I
also attended several forums and meetings at the United Nations
as an ICN representative and compiled the council briefing
reports. The conferences included the UNESCO sub-commission
on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the Secretary-General’s
High Level Panel on UN-Civil Society Relations, and the Human
Rights and Poverty Reduction Strategy meeting.
I had an invaluable experience and gained critical exposure
to health care policy. I enjoyed the internship and learned
a great deal that I hope to be able to utilize as I progress
in my health career.
Croatia in August 2004 as part of a UNESCO program, I do not have any
more details at thos time. "Croatia was fantastic, especially
Dubrovnik in the south which is a UNESCO world site with a walled old
city and great beaches outside it." |
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