Baker's blogNaomi Baker

Naomi Baker, Chair of the Association of Nursing Students (ANS) is heading out to South Africa for her first ICN Congress. She'll be sharing all her news and views via a daily blog, starting from 26 June.

Here she tells us what she'll be looking out for in Durban.

"South Africa is somewhere that I've always wanted to visit - I'm fascinated by its landscape and way of life. So, I was truly grateful to get this opportunity to represent RCN nursing students at such a prestigious event.

"I'm really looking forward to participating in a conference that will be attended by so many nations; to meeting nurses from other parts of the world with a view to sharing ideas about our profession; and learning about cultural differences and how nursing reflects this.

"It is so important that students' views and agendas are represented. Simply, student nurses are the future of nursing. With a large number of UK nurses set to retire in the next 10 years, it is absolutely essential that students are recruited and trained. This needs to be addressed and recognised on an international scale. I'll be taking part in the Student Assembly at the Congress and also feeding into the Student Network.

"The ICN Congress will be a wonderful experience for me, and one which I hope to share with you through my daily blog. Please come back to read all about what's happening in Durban and take a look at some of the photos from the day - I'm the one in the pink t-shirt!"

Start reading Naomi's blog below.

Friday 26 June

Just arrived at the hotel, after an epic journey which began in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon.

Greeted by a magnificent sunset and warm breeze - winter-time for South Africa...apparently.

Already noticing International Council of Nursing (ICN) delegates arriving from all around the world. I'm sure all will be very excited for Congress proceedings to start, I know I am.

Not much else happening this evening, so I think I'll take a well deserved rest…for jetlag and the like.

Remember folks, I shall be blogging everyday, so log onto the RCN website to find out what yours truly has been up to each day.

Saturday 27 June

Day one of ICN Congress offered the first session of the Council of National Representatives (CNR).

Before the first toothy agenda item could be debated, ICN Council went through the formalities of opening the first CNR session of the week with a welcoming introduction from the -ICN President Hiroko Minami and CEO David Benton.

Both the president and CEO gave reports on the work they and their teams had achieved for nursing and healthcare whilst in post. Hiroko Minami has served a five-year term as president, whereas David Benton has only been in post nine months.

The reports were followed by a Q&A session from the floor where several really interesting points and questions were raised by nations including Swaziland and Indonesia. They highlighted issues around nursing unemployment and poor or lack of nursing regulation i.e. the Nursing and Midwifery Council equivalent in their respective nations, which it seems in the UK we take for granted. I hope to speak to members of those nations this week to gain a greater insight into the extent of this issue and how it has, or might, effect the quality of nursing care and delivery.

In the evening, many delegates were invited to a reception held by the Maltese representative. The event was in celebration of the nation, which is hosting another ICN conference in 2011.

The evening was wonderful, I met so many interesting people and sampled Maltese cheese and wine which was excellent. See some of of the photographs from the event in the gallery.

I went to bed exhausted but looking forward to the new experiences tomorrow will bring.

Sunday 28 June

Day two of ICN Congress began with a Council of National Representatives (CNR) closed session, so I wasn't able to observe. I took this opportunity to explore Durban's gorgeous beach front and promenade. Surfing seems to be a popular past time for Durban locals, with the waves reaching great heights. Accompanied by fellow RCN delegates, I enjoyed a leisurely walk and a nosey around the famous craft markets. Of course being my first trip to South Africa, I made a bee-line to the traditional Zulu crafts, and bought some truly stunning pieces for family and friends back home. I should at this moment point out my desire for retail therapy, so a splurge on some native certified South African diamonds was essential...for my mum of course!

In the afternoon it was time to register - the Congress and Exhibition, which follows the CNR business meetings, will commence on Tuesday. I am excited to see the ICN's exhibition and in particular our RCN/Open University Alliance stand. More than 5,000 delegates are expected this week, and the massive queue to register which I braved for 90 minutes is ample proof of that.

In the evening, the RCN held a reception for all UK delegates attending ICN.  I managed to speak with some really interesting individuals from across the UK including several university lecturers and professors of nursing - our very own RCN Council Member for the Northern Region Kathleen McCourt, who is a professor at the University of Northumbria, was among them.

I also had an opportunity to speak with Radha Adhikan, a Nepalese nurse who is currently studying a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Her PhD revolves around Nepalese nurses migration experiences to the UK and our health system. I found this issue particularly interesting, as it seems to me that there's a growing trend for UK nursing students to emigrate to countries such as Australia and New Zealand as soon as they register.

Check out her vox pop and read what she had to say about her PhD and issues surrounding this trend.

Tomorrow is Student Assembly day which I am incredibly excited about, hopefully I will get a chance to speak with students from other nations and get them to share their student experience.

Watch this space....

Monday 29 June

Finally, the day of the student assembly arrived...and I can happily say it did not disappoint.

The president of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) Nursing Student Association delivered the assembly. First we were introduced to a panel which included Anne Morrison, Nursing and Education Consultant for ICN and Jennifer Davis, Co-Chair of the ICN Student Network Steering Group. Both gave a short presentation on their respective roles at the ICN.

Lead student representatives from each nation were invited to join a panel on stage to talk to the assembly about their respective nations, the organisations they represented and their regulatory bodies. I was also interested to learn about what nursing qualifications are available around the world - the South African representative talked about the country's four-year diploma. I represented the UK and was naturally enthusiastic about the quality of education available at home and the RCN's role in nursing as both a trade union and a professional nursing body.

The assembly was concluded by a colourful and vibrant presentation from the president of DENOSA, Ephraim Mafalo. He encouraged all students to bond together to influence policy change in nursing and emphasised that as students, we are the future and life blood of this profession. Pretty empowering stuff!

My afternoon was spent with fellow UK delegates on a cultural visit to the Botanic Gardens of Durban, which I thought were gorgeous, despite the fact that I'm not very green fingered and gardening inclined. I managed to take some amazing pictures of local birds (I'm hoping once someone sees the pictures, they will tell me the species).

The Opening Ceremony for ICN Congress took place in the evening, and proved to be an unforgettable experience. The representatives of each nation were introduced, followed by an uplifting speech from the South African Deputy President Kaglema Motlanthe, which delighted the home delegates in attendance. A brief speech was given by ICN president elect Rosemary Bryant, who thanked outgoing president Hiroko Minami for her tremendous, unyielding work over the past five years, and wished her every success for the future.

The ceremony was concluded with a performance by a traditional African music group, who enthralled the audience with their addictive and uplifting rhythms. It truly was a sight to behold.

A fantastic day all round, and one I shall never forget.

Tuesday 30 June

Day four of the ICN Congress here in sunny Durban started with the Student Network session. The network provides a forum for nursing students throughout the world to discuss topics related to individual and community health, education and science and to develop our own policies and priorities for now and the future.

Jointly presented by Student Network Co-Chairs Allison Webel and Jennifer Davis, the session kicked off with a run through the business meeting agenda and progress report for the last two years since the steering group formed at the 2007 ICN Congress is Yokohama, Japan. Delegates were then offered the opportunity to provide examples of how their respective nursing student organisations had influenced, or were striving for change in their area. Naturally, I was able to give several examples of achievements and ongoing work of the ANS to my fellow nations present. Our success at this year's RCN Congress was a fine example of student involvement, engagement and achievement, that I for one was incredibly proud to be a part of.
 
On my various journeys around the conference centre and exhibition hall I had the pleasure of speaking with two separate groups of nursing students from across South East Asia. They were eager to speak to me after spotting me on the discussion panel at yesterday's Student Assembly. The students I met from Hong Kong were interested about the job opportunities in the UK and what my nursing student experience at home was like. I also met students from Yonsei University in South Korea, who were equally interested to speak with me regarding my role and work in the RCN and my representation of students. It was an honour to meet such enthusiastic and vibrant students, and precisely the reason why I came to ICN Congress - sharing knowledge and experience on a face-to-face level. Check out the gallery to see pictures of my new international friends.
 
In the afternoon, I attended a Clinical Learning Environment and Simulation session in the main hall. It was presented by Kathy George from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Liz Watt from La Trobe University, Melbourne and Professor Thomas Wong of the Polytechnic University Hong Kong. Although I was aware of the NMC's decision to introduce a requirement of 10% pre-registration practice simulation, I was delighted to hear of its success since implementation, and the positive feedback received by students undertaking it.

Speaking from experience, I thoroughly enjoyed my practical classes in University, as I felt I was able to implement my learning, thus enhancing my skills knowledge. So, I was interested to hear Liz Watt speak about two nursing schools in Melbourne which were built beside major acute hospitals to faciliate clinical simulation for students. Thomas Wong also spoke about how real life simultation and artificial props such as arms for cannulation and IV therapy skills have been adopted in Hong Kong.

For more information about the ICN Congress look out for the 15 July issue of the RCN Bulletin, which I'll be contributing to along with other RCN delegates.
 
In the evening I was joined fellow RCN delegates in a very South African dining experience at Durban eatery Butcher Boys. Following a previous experience of biltong, I decided to skip over the more exotic menu choices of Ostrich fillet and the Out of Africa selection of choice cuts of game (!) and settled for a beef steak. But, if you're a fan of steak like me, you would love this place......yum!

Wednesday 1 July

Nearing the end of my week here at ICN Congress in Durban, and I'm just about over my cold (in case I hadn't mentioned in my earlier blogs, I have been riddled with a head cold for the past 72 hours).

This morning, I managed to catch a press conference with Professor Miriam K Were from Kenya who had just presented a Plenary Session on Health and Human Rights. The main focus of her session was the increasing number of unemployed registered nurses across Kenya due to a government and health service decision to employ healthcare workers via private agencies. These workers perform the tasks and role of a nurse for considerably less money.

Thankfully the other issue discussed is not one that immediately affects the UK, but I did feel the massive HIV/Aids issue in Kenya that she highlighted was particularly worrying. According to figures stated by Professor Were, one in 16 people in the country are at risk of HIV/Aids transmission, and more frighteningly, in some over-populated areas the statistic rises as high as one in seven.
 
In the afternoon, I met with ICN Nurse and Education Consultant Anne Morrison to discuss her role within the council. Her main focus is regulation i.e. the national bodies that govern nursing such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in the UK. She stated the importance of regulatory bodies for nursing and emphasised that holding a licence or registration is a privilege not a right, and one that should be respected and honoured by every nurse.

As a newly qualified nurse myself, my goal during this last year of uni has been to obtain my NMC registration, and it amazes me when I read how people take it for granted or abuse the privilege. I should at this point say that at this conference I have met people from a significant number of nations who do not have a national regulatory body for nursing. I guess we must remember, although as nurses we are governed by the NMC, they are also there to protect us and keep us in line with good practice - for that I am truly grateful.
 
The RCN/Open University Alliance has a stall here at the ICN exhibition hall, which has proved extremely popular with delegates. In the past I have always enjoyed working the stall at RCN events, especially engaging with delegates and visitors. I always knew the RCN was a well respected trade union and professional nursing organisation nationally, but to be perfectly honest, it really isn't until you come to something like the ICN Congress that you realise how well known and well respected the RCN is globally. I have had delegates stop me in my tracks, simply to talk to me because my badge says I'm representing the RCN....and you know, that makes me feel incredibly proud to be a part of this tremendous organisation and is something I shall treasure for the rest of my career.

Thursday 2 July

With ICN Congress beginning to wind down, I had the opportunity to staff the RCN stall again and explore some of the other exhibition stands. As many of you will know from our own RCN Congress, the exhibition is always the place to load up on freebies and the ICN exhibitors didn't disappoint - t-shirts, pins, pens, post-its and of course a cuddly toy were all up for grabs. However, there is a serious side to the stalls, many of which showcase the achievements of national nursing organisations across the globe.

I managed to visit the South African Network of Nurses and Midwives and the Taiwan Nurses Association. The Swedish Nurses Against Tobacco stall was particularly interesting - they're encouraging nurses across the world to start their own tobacco networks citing Swedish successes including a smoke-free hospital project, a national children-smoke-free pregnancy initiative and integrating tobacco control and tobacco cessation curricula into nursing schools.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, working on the RCN stall is an enjoyable experience as it's an excellent method of meeting delegates from other nations. The consensus from the stall, and from discussions with delegates, is that there is a great deal of interest with the work of the RCN as a professional nursing body and trade union, and  in particular its close links with the Open University and continuing professional development. Many delegates sought information on how they could take advantage of this service, and so we were able to advise them about the Learning Zone on the RCN website, which we are offering access to for delegates wanting to learn more.

I also spent time this afternoon trying to collect as many images as possible for the gallery, so all of you back home can see what I'm getting up to, where I've been and who I've met.

To be honest folks, there are two things I'm looking forward to tomorrow (Friday). First is the Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) end of congress party. DENOSA are the co-hosts of the congress alongside the ICN and they're holding a beach party on the Durban seafront to mark the end of an incredibly enjoyable and successful ICN Congress.

The second is something that I know many of you will be dying to watch too… Andy Murray's semi-final match at Wimbledon, I suspect the support across the UK will be out in force!

Tomorrow I'll be back with my final official blog from South Africa - although I'll bring you some final thoughts (and news of the first Briton to win the Wimbledon men's single's final since 1936!) when I'm back in the UK.

Friday 3 July

This will be my final blog of the week as today marked the end of the 2009 ICN Congress.

The focal point of today's programme is the closing ceremony, where the newly elected board members and vice-presidents will be introduced. Outgoing ICN president Dr. Hiroko Minami will also hand over the presidency to newly elected Rosemary Bryant.

I am starting to get a feel for media and journalism after this week, as I have been very fortunate to catch some key press conferences and interviews at ICN and today was no different.

In the morning I managed to catch a press conference with president elect Rosemary Bryant, where she unveiled her watchword for her term - 'access'. Under this, she emphasised the importance of nurses being able to access further training and development, to better themselves and better their care provision. She stressed the importance of nurses being able to access all the relevant facilities and equipment to allow nurses to carry out their jobs safely and effectively.

I wish her the very best of luck for the future as she embarks on her ICN Presidency. I was very fortunate to get a picture with Rosemary at the end of the closing ceremony, which you can see up in the gallery.

I also saw Gerry Rantseli Elsdon, a South African TV/radio personality and presenter, and WHO Ambassador for tuberculosis in South Africa for the past eight years. Having been diagnosed with tuberculosis endometrium in 2000 after a routine family planning check-up, Gerry spoke about the stigma associated with TB in South Africa, and the assumptions made in society that sufferers of TB 'must' or 'might' have Aids.

In 2001, shortly before Gerry became the WHO Ambassador for TB, she made the extremely brave decision to go public about her diagnosis. She remembers experiencing some stigmatisation, but received wide praise nationally and globally for her bravery and tenacity in bringing TB in South Africa to the attention of the media and wider public. She has made people aware that it IS a problem and should not be ignored.

Gerry spoke about how proud she was to be an ambassador, saying "being a voice and advocate for this, is so important", and feels that her celebrity status has helped highlight the issue. She also went on to say "who cares about the 2010 World cup, if our air [in South Africa] is not healthy to breath" and insisted on TB billboards with her face on them if that's what it takes to highlight the problem.

The key issue from Gerry is that this is a curable disease, and with necessary facilities and access to care, nobody should have to suffer in silence. Gerry has been TB negative for more than years, but said at the time it was a "huge burden to carry", but said she was very lucky to have it diagnosed and treated, and wants to be able to give back and help spread awareness of TB and eradicate the "stigma and statements thrown around".

A truly remarkable woman and so very passionate about her cause.

Both the closing ceremony and DENOSA beach party were thoroughly enjoyable, and I was extremely fortunate to speak with delegates from Canada, US and Australia who told me ICN Congress was a memorable experience and they were sad to see it finish, but were equally looking forward to returning to their home nations to share the experience, learning and networks they have obtained and secured whilst at ICN. I for one cannot wait to report back to my colleagues in the ANS to tell them about all I have learnt, and the wonderful people I have met.

It was a great pleasure to write this blog, as I wanted to share with RCN members back in the UK my experience of life at ICN - for that one solitary week every four years, when more than 5,000 (5600 actually) people congregate to share their work, life experience and passion for nursing.