What a historic year 2010 is turning out to be!! Nurses around the world are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the passing of Florence Nightingale, who died on August 13, 1910. Miss Nightingale was truly an international wound nurse, who was born in the Villa Columbaia in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820, and raised in Great Britain as well as throughout Europe. Perhaps, as the lady with the lamp (La signora dalla lampada), she is most well known for her nursing practice in the Crimea, where she used statistics as the evidence basis for changing the care delivery system to reduce mortality from wounds and improve patient outcomes. Her contributions to the global recognition of nursing are a cause of celebration. As such, 2010 has been designated as the "international year of the nurse (2010 IY Nurse)." Throughout 2010 IY Nurse, several organizations such as Sigma Theta Tau International, the Florence Nightingale Museum in London, and the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health are all planning events to recognize the contributions of nurses throughout the world.
As wound, ostomy, and continence nurses, we celebrated another historic event. For the first time ever, the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) and the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET) met in a joint congress from 12 to 16 June in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1968, the WOCN is a professional, international nursing society of more than 4200 health care professionals who are experts in the care of patients with wound, ostomy, and incontinence. Founded 10 years later in 1978, the WCET is a global organization with members in more than 60 countries dedicated to realizing Norma Gill's dream of specialized nursing care worldwide for all persons who have wound, ostomy, or continence care needs. It is fitting that this joint WOCN-WCET educational congress was held in the United States, as Norma Gill, an American, was a founder of our specialty practice and instrumental in developing our organizations.
We believe that both of these nurse leaders would be proud to know that in 2010, wound, ostomy, and continence nurses throughout the world are gathered to share their knowledge, hear the latest evidence, and learn from each other. Through global cooperation, the care for people around the world will truly be improved.
It is our hope that 2010 will be a perfect ten!! We both enjoyed greeting many of you in our country, the United States, at this important educational opportunity for the world's wound, ostomy, and continence nurses. On behalf of our fellow English-speaking colleagues, we say take care, safe travels, and extend a world of good wishes for wound, ostomy, and continence nurses.