I am very pleased to be invited to write a guest editorial for the JWOCN. During the past 3 years I have enjoyed attending the WOCN annual conferences. People have stopped by the WCET booth at the WOCN National Conferences and asked, "What is the WCET, and what does it do?" In this editorial, I will try to acquaint JWOCN readers with the structure and functions of the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET).
The WCET was founded in 1976. The late Norma Gill was instrumental in developing the organization and sharing ET knowledge throughout the world.
Like the WOCN, the WCET is an organization for nurses and interested others focused on ostomy, wound, and continence nursing. The WCET membership is composed of approximately 1100 members, with more than 60 countries represented in this membership. Like WOCN members, WCET members appreciate the value of their membership directory for networking with colleagues, nationally as well as internationally.
WCET organizational structure is somewhat similar to that of the WOCN. There are elected officers and committee chairpersons. There are 10 volunteer executive board members who run the organization via e-mail, periodic teleconferences, and an annual face-to-face board meeting. Establishment of a time for teleconferences is a bit of an engineering feat with current board members located in The Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For example, during our executive board conference calls, it's 1 PM Saturday in the Netherlands where I am chairing the call, 5 AM in the United States and Canada, and 10 PM Saturday evening in Australia!! The official language for communications and written records is English. We all have fun learning the nuances of English-British English, Australian English, Canadian English, and American English. Some of the other languages spoken by our board are Dutch and French. Besides myself, the current executive board members are Vice President, Elizabeth English, RN, CETN, Adelaide, Australia; Secretary, Michelle Lee Wai-kuen, RN, RGN, BN, MPHC, ET, Hong Kong; Treasurer, Susan Dunne, RN, CETN, Med, Darlinghurst, Australia; Journal Editor, Elizabeth A. Ayello, PhD, RN, CWOCN, APRN, BC, FAPWCA, FAAN, New York, USA; Constitution Chairperson, Shirley McSavency, RN, Dip, PhN, ET, NCA, Ontario, Canada; Education Chairperson, Louise Forest-Lalande, RN, Med, ET, Montreal, Quebec; Norma Gill Foundation, Judith Weller, BSc, SRN, SCM, ET, Lausanne, Switzerland; Publications Chairperson, Donna Weiss, RN, ET, Alberta, Canada; and Charities Commission Trustee, Bart Tappe, UK.
Unlike the WOCN, the WCET is not operated through a professional management company. The only paid member of the organization is its executive assistant in Canada who assists on a part-time basis. Paid financial and legal assistance is obtained, as needed, from a firm in Australia. The treasury is organized in a banking institution with international branches. Unlike the WOCN, the WCET treasurer keeps track of accounts held in Pounds Sterling ([pounds]) and some in US Dollars and Euros. Given the different international currency, this can sometimes be challenging. This year, WCET has just begun to have members renew their membership on line via its Web portal.
The WCET also manages the Norma N. Gill Foundation (NNGF). The NNGF is funded by private donations and industry support. It provides scholarships to advance ET education for applicants throughout the world. The types of scholarships include, but are not limited to, funds for enterostomal therapy nursing educational program (ETNEP) education, membership fees, educational materials, and congress attendance. Typically, 3 to 5 scholarships are awarded each year. Recipients of NNGF scholarships have to write a summary of their experiences and submit a manuscript to our journal.
The NNGF also coordinates what it has named the "Twinning Program." This program matches members of a developed country where ET nursing is practiced with a developing country. Various types of support are provided for the developing country, such as sharing of knowledge and provision of educational materials. For example, the United States has had a successful twinning project with Chile.
The WCET has been instrumental in the development of ETNEPs in areas that want to develop a program. For example, 2 of WCET's executive board members volunteered to go to China. They, along with the Hong Kong ET nurses, established the first ETNEP in China. Another board member went to Turkey in 2003 to teach the first WOC course there. She also returned this spring to teach another course.
Each member country elects an international delegate (ID) to communicate to members in its respective countries and to represent its country members at the biennial general business meeting. The vice-president keeps the IDs informed via newsletters. We call our newsletter The BullETin.
The mission of the WCET is similar to that of the WOCN. WOCN focuses on nurses in the United States. The scope of the WCET is to assist fellow nurses throughout the world. Both of our organizations had their roots in the wishes of Norma Gill. She founded the WCET and the WOCN so that every patient who had stoma surgery received the special care that he or she deserved. It is also always exciting to learn that the approach to patient care in one country may be just the answer that nurses in another country seek to solve the clinical dilemma for their patient. We just had an example of this published in our journal wherein a nurse from Italy was able to help a nurse from South Africa.
Although we come from many different countries and cultures, we have many commonalities and serve as a rich global resource to each other. Part of the WCET mission is to educate nurses throughout the world so that they can provide competent care for ostomy, wound, and continence patients. The WCET accomplishes this mission in several ways.
The WCET Education Committee has some functions that are somewhat like the WOCN Accreditation Subcommittee of the Education Committee. Part of the WCET committee's work is to review the structure and content of ETNEP programs throughout the world. The WCET does not officially "accredit" ETNEPs, but a certificate of program recognition is provided to those programs that have met suggested criteria for length and content.
Like the WOCN, the WCET sponsors a major educational conference. WCET calls them "congresses." The WOCN sponsors an annual conference, whereas the WCET holds a congress every 2 years on the even years. A major meeting, as the WOCN national conference committee knows, is a monumental job. Try to imagine planning a meeting with participants from every inhabited continent of the world. The biennial congress is much more practical for the organizing committee and the participants. English is the official language for the congress. When 100 participants or more from a particular country are present, simultaneous translations are provided for the main sessions. Congresses have been held in Milan, Italy; Dusseldorf, Germany; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Munich, Germany; Transkei, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Gothenburg, Sweden; Toronto, Canada; Lyon, France; Yokohama, Japan; Jerusalem, Israel; Brighton, UK; Singapore; Florence, Italy; and Florianopolis, Brazil.
Each congress begins with a colorful opening ceremony in which the IDs dress in their traditional national costume and carry in the flag of their country. It resembles the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Susan Stelton, from the United States, is the Board Liaison to our 2006 Congress, which will be held in Hong Kong. The 2008 Congress will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We hope to see you there!!
An important way that the WCET conveys information to members is through the WCET Journal that is published quarterly. This is a peer-reviewed journal. It is indexed in CINAHL. The articles are published in English and the author's native language. The WCET Journal's focus is on international evidence and solutions to clinical problems within the specialty of wound, ostomy, and continence. Members from throughout the world have contributed articles throughout the years. We hope that members of WOCN will consider writing articles that will provide their countries' perspectives.
In conclusion, there are many similarities between the 2 organizations. They have similar missions. The methods of accomplishing the mission vary. The WOCN is a national organization for WOC nurses, and the WCET is the international organization. Thank you for this opportunity to share information about the WCET with you. If you would like further information about the WCET, including links to the future congress sites, please visit the Web site at http://www.wcetn.org.
We value our relationship with the WOCN and look forward to our continued collaboration.
Dank U wel, merci beaucoup, vielen dank, muchos gracias, muoto obrigada, grazie molto, tusen takk, tack sa mycket, mange tak, thank you.