Setting up a local or national paediatric nursing association
Some suggestions to help you get started
- Before you start, make sure that there is not a group already set up that you haven’t heard about. It is better to form one national group so that the voice for paediatric nursing is strong - local groups may be appropriate for your country but it's best if they are all linked together under one umbrella.
- Start small with a group of committed people (not one person).
- Establish a communication network first before setting up anything more formal: where are the interested people and how can we all keep in touch?
- Once you have an interested group and a communication network you can discuss and decide ‘terms of reference’: what you want to achieve in the first year or so. Keep it simple at this stage. For example, one objective could be to prepare a news sheet and inform others who might be interested about the formation of the group.
- Link with medical colleagues (is there a national paediatric association?) who may be able to offer support. Consider carefully the nature of this link: is it appropriate for the nursing group to be part of the medical group or would it achieve more by being part of a wider nursing group, such as the national nurses association. Whatever the relationship it is important that good lines of communication are established.
- Is there a paediatric consumer group? Some countries have an ‘association for the welfare of children in hospital’. Others have specialist parent groups such as the 'cystic fibrosis society’ or the 'cancer parents support group’. What kind of relationship is appropriate for the nursing group to have with these groups? It may be at first that you just inform them that you exist (establish communication) and then in later years build a more formal working relationship, depending on their goals and yours.
- Develop a registry or database of members that is updated regularly. Ensure that you conform to data protection standards for your country if this information is held on computer - this usually requires that you inform members that their details are to be held on computer and that these details may be given to other members for communication purposes only. If you intend to do anything else with the personal details of members you will have to obtain their permission.
- Consider email and Internet communication if these are suited to your situation but remember that this could exclude some people who do not have access to this technology.
- Plan to launch the group ‘officially’ via a conference or study day that is open to all paediatric nurses and try to get some publicity in nursing journals for this event. This will encourage others to join.
- Above all, do not be hierarchical or exclusive: include all paediatric nurses in your activities. This means that if you charge a fee for joining the association, for study days or conferences, these will need to be affordable for the most junior nurse.
Example aims
Below are some sample aims of a paediatric nursing society which you might find helpful in thinking about your own aims:
- To provide opportunities for nurses engaged in, or concerned with, this branch of nursing to meet together to share their common interest in paediatric nursing.
- To increase awareness among the profession and public of the needs of children, and the contribution of paediatric nurses.
- To assist nurses to increase their knowledge and to enhance their contribution to paediatric nursing.