News and Events: Summary Notes-Vancouver Meeting

Notes on Discussion at the Meeting of the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing: Vision and Strategy for International Doctoral Education; Vancouver, Canada, June 17, 1997.

These notes were recorded following the meeting for reference in future planning, and are not intended to be exhaustive.

Dr. Katharyn May, Director of the University of British Columbia School of Nursing, opened the meeting on behalf of the host school, and as a member of the planning committee; she welcomed all and recognized the other members of the planning group: A. Norberg, Sweden, S. Ketefian, USA, A. Meleis, USA.

Sixty-four individuals were pre-registered, but 85 attended the meeting. Twenty countries were represented, as follows: Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), United States, Zimbabwe.

The day had two components: The scientific session, and a business session to determine the establishment of an international group concerned with doctoral education globally.

The Speakers were: Dr. H. McKenna, Northern Ireland, Dr. S. Kim, Korea, Dr. E. Hamrin, Sweden, Dr. N. Seboni, Botswana. Each spoke for 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of discussion. Discussion was lively and participative; degree of collegiality and interest in learning about each others¹ work and doctoral programs was high. A. Meleis moderated the morning sessions, S. Ketefian moderated the afternoon sessions.

During the business session the group determined that we needed to create a formal structure to enable an international group of people to come together once every two years to discuss issues of mutual concern in doctoral education; it was determined that the group would be independent, and not formally affiliated with any organization, so as not to dilute its focus on global doctoral education concerns. One meeting would be in connection with the ICN, another meeting in connection with another international meeting. Some suggestions were given.

Two years hence, ICN is holding a special conference in London to celebrate its Centennial, June 27 to July 1, 1999; the next meeting will be held during that conference. [Editorial Note: in holding this June 1997 meeting during the ICN week, we were mindful of a survey conducted by S. Ketefian in 1996 as to the best time to hold such a meeting, and the majority indicated that it be held DURING the ICN week, not before, not after; thus, it was decided to hold the meeting just before the official opening of ICN; although there were some conflicts, in the main, it seemed to have worked well for everyone. Also, it was facilitated due to the hospitality provided by the University of British Columbia School of Nursing, which made it possible for us to plan the meeting without entering into any negotiations with ICN or requiring its facilities; it also enabled us to use campus facilities, which were of lower cost than hotel facilities, thus holding the registration fee as low as possible so it would not be a barrier to attendance].

Notes recorded by Shaké Ketefian
The University of Michigan
School of Nursing
400 N. Ingalls
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
USA
June 17, 1997