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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Colleagues: One of the goals identified in both “Vision 2020,” the new visioning document for the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and “Leading Globally,” the 2007-09 presidential call, is for the honor society to become a truly global organization. “Globalization is a well entrenched and rapidly evolving paradigm that has direct and profound implications for trade and professional associations, foundations and other not-for-profit organizations” (Barkan, 2006, p. 2). The National Intelligence Council (2004) suggests that globalization as an overarching “megatrend, is a force so ubiquitous that it will substantially shape all other major trends in the world of 2020.” It also predicts that the “very magnitude and speed of change resulting from a globalizing world—apart from its precise character—will be a defining feature of the world in 2020” (para. 1). International associations such as the honor society, then, must look to the future and include globalization as a means for assuring productivity, efficiency, relevance and even viability. The reality is, becoming global is no longer a choice for the honor society; it’s an imperative. One only has to look at the headlines to realize most health care and nursing issues must now be viewed from a global perspective. The threat of pandemics and epidemics such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), drug-resistant tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, West Nile virus and bird flu, combined with a world increasingly characterized by global travel, remind us that health threats faced by any one country are ultimately faced by all countries. Global warming, pollution, deforestation and other environmental dangers are worldwide threats, not national ones. In addition, many nursing issues are now recognized as global issues. There has never been a greater urgency to establish international standards for nursing education, or to identify global standards or competencies for the novice nurse. In addition, the current global nursing shortage has resulted in unprecedented transnational migration of nurses. Some countries exporting large numbers of nurses report potentially negative social and economic impacts including “brain drain,” the loss of skilled personnel and investment in education experienced when vital human resources migrate elsewhere (Huston, 2006; Kline, 2003). While position statements on nursing migration by both Sigma Theta Tau International and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) support the right of nurses to migrate, and confirm the potential beneficial outcomes of multicultural practice and learning opportunities supported by migration, the potential adverse effect on quality of health care in donor countries has not been addressed adequately. It is also readily apparent that no one country has all the answers to the worldwide health care dilemmas we face today, including abuse of women and children; care of people with HIV or AIDS; hunger and lack of access to clean drinking water; the multiplicity of ethical issues facing nurses and other health care providers, as well as nations; and health care worker shortages. The eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which range from “eradicating extreme poverty and hunger to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015, form a blueprint for all the world’s countries and leading development institutions” (United Nations, 2008, para. 1). Working together and sharing technologies, strategies and successes worldwide will be an important part of addressing these global health care dilemmas. To be a vital and relevant 21st-century organization, the honor society must continue its efforts to be a truly global organization and to adopt a global mind-set. Our infrastructure must continue to change to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse global nursing population and to provide services and support appropriate to the resources and capabilities of the unique communities of nurses in different countries. Realizing our mission and vision—“to create a global community of nurses who lead in nursing knowledge, scholarship, service and learning to improve the health of the world’s people” (Sigma Theta Tau International, 2008, para. 6)—will require 1) attention to cultural contexts; 2) suitability and applicability of the honor society’s values, beliefs and constructs across cultures; and 3) adaptability in addressing nursing knowledge needs around the world. Global health must be a priority for research and development. Sigma Theta Tau International must continue to form partnerships and alliances with other global organizations and associations that have similar missions and goals, such as those we currently have with the World Health Organization (WHO) and ICN. For example, during the 2007-09 biennium, the honor society will pursue partnership with the United Nations, first by applying for observer status, and then by applying for recognition as a nongovernmental entity in decision-making related to global health and nursing issues. The honor society will also further its partnership with the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH),which strives to“build a grassroots movement among nurses, health care workers, educators and other global citizens—from every country and community—to work together to inform, educate and mobilize public opinion throughout the world toward the adoption of health as the universal priority of the United Nations and its Member States” (NIGH, 2007, para. 3). These types of partnerships and alliances will continue to allow the honor society to be involved in global nursing workforce issues through policy advocacy. For the honor society, “Worldview 2008” and beyond is global. We are positioning the honor society to be a pioneer in the globalization of nursing. As an intentionally strategic professional association with a long history of being visionary, innovative and progressive in its thinking, having a global organizational and nursing perspective will allow Sigma Theta Tau International to use its extensive knowledge and leadership resources even more effectively as an instrument to achieve global health. As the renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” RNL
Carol J. Huston, RN, MSN, DPA, FAAN
Huston, C.J. (2006). Professional issues in nursing: Challenges and opportunities. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins. Kline, D.S. (2003). Push and pull factors in international nurse migration. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 35(2), 107-111. National Intelligence Council. (2004). Mapping the global future: Report of the National Intelligence Council's 2020 project, Executive summary, Impact of globalization. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_globaltrend2020_es.html
Nightingale Initiative for Global Health. (2007). About NIGH. Retrieved January 9, 2008, from http://www.nightingaledeclaration.net/ Sigma Theta Tau International. (2008). Organizational fact sheet. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www.nursingsociety.org/aboutus/mission/Pages/ United Nations. (2008). UN millennium development goals. Retrieved January 9, 2008, from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ |
