TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2006 – Today’s nurse educators face greater challenges than ever before. In addition to preparing students to meet patients’ clinical, emotional and physical needs and keep up with ever changing technology, they must also design courses that will attract, engage and retain committed men and women.

Nurse educators from across North America will meet at a conference taking place in Markham, Ontario this week to discuss innovative curricula and teaching methodologies that will enable nurses to grow and thrive in the future. At this 3rd International Nursing Education Conference, Embracing the Future of Nursing: Educating Tomorrow’s Nurses, hosted by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) Centre for Professional Nursing Excellence, nurse educators who work in academic and service settings will share novel and creative ways of preparing nurses for work in diverse and demanding environments.

“The future of nursing is in the hands of current and potential nursing students,” says Irmajean Bajnok, Director of RNAO’s Centre for Professional Nursing Excellence. “This conference provides a critical forum for nurse educators to discuss how to attract the best and the brightest into nursing and to share solutions for managing the curriculum and resource challenges facing nursing education today.”

Some of the workshops covered during the two day conference include:

• From “Awakenings” to “Star Trek”: Using popular media to bridge the gap from theory to practice
• Education for the Future: The Telehealth Nurse
• Optimizing the use of technology via e-learning
• Developing Clinical Confidence: A seminar for student nurses
  

WHO: Over 200 experts in nursing education from across North America.

WHAT: 3rd International Nursing Education Conference, Embracing the Future of Nursing: Educating Tomorrow’s Nurses hosted by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) Centre for Professional Nursing Excellence

WHERE: Hilton Suites Toronto/Markham Conference Centre and Spa 8500 Warden Ave., Markham, Ontario

WHEN:

• 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Thursday, October 26
• 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Friday, October 27
  

To view the conference agenda, please visit www.rnao.ca.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses wherever they practise in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has lobbied for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.