Nursing Power to Change the World
GLOBAL EXCHANGE BCNU sent members Jessica Dahl, José-Louis Huberdeau, Jacqueline Guest and Keara Manrique to the ICN Congress in Helsinki, Finland, as part of its National Nursing Week celebrations.
Four members proudly represented BCNU at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress, held this June in Helsinki, Finland. BCNU North West region member Jessica Dahl, Okanagan Similkameen members José-Louis Huberdeau and Jacqueline Guest and Shaughnessy Heights member Keara Manrique were among the nearly 7,000 nurses from over 100 countries who came together to share expertise and explore solutions to global challenges in nursing.
Centred around the theme “Nursing Power to Change the World,” the biennial ICN Congress spotlighted nurses as transformative leaders in health care. Attendees heard from high-profile speakers, including WHO Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Amelia Tuipulotu, New Zealand’s former Prime Minister and Health Minister Helen Clark and BCNU’s professional practice and advocacy manager Tarya Morel, who spoke on a panel with University of Pennsylvania researcher Dr. Linda Aiken about minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.
Dahl described the experience as both enlightening and inspiring.
“There is a nursing crisis globally, with an urgent need for safe staffing, fair wages and improved working conditions,” said Dahl. “After hearing stories, strategies and wins from nurses around the world, it made me recognize that our fight is part of something bigger. We have the power to shape a safer, more fair and more sustainable health-care system.”
“It made me recognize that our fight is part of something bigger.”
- North West region member Jessica Dahl
Participant Jaqueline Guest singled out a plenary session led by Professor Linda Aiken from the University of Pennsylvania, which focused on minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. The session highlighted the success of ratios in California and Australia, where they have significantly improved patient outcomes and nurse retention. To her, these insights emphasized the urgency and importance of BCNU’s current work.
“It encouraged me to get more involved, especially as I work toward completing my nursing degree,” said Guest. “Being active in our union is one of the best ways to be a part of moving things forward.”
Participants left the congress with a clear message: nurses hold the power to drive change, not just at the bedside, but at every level of health care. “Let’s be clear, nursing has the power to care, to heal, to save lives and to change the world,” said ICN Chief Executive Howard Catton.
Now back home, these BCNU members are more determined than ever to strengthen nursing leadership and advocate for the profession – locally and beyond.
UPDATE (Summer 2025)