Red River College’s Nursing faculty are committed to the furthering of nursing, health, and education innovation. From attending conferences to conducting and disseminating research, the department continually strives for professional development and modeling the importance of research and scholarship to students.

Nursing instructor, Wilma Schroeder BN MMFT, recently attended and presented at the 12th International Family Nursing Conference: Improving Family Health Globally through Research, Education, and Practice. The conference was held in Odense, Denmark from August 18th to 21st.

Wilma, along with Janice M. Bell from the University of Calgary, Wendy Looman from the University of Minnesota, and Kris Isaacson from St. Cloud Technical and Community College, presented four aspects of the topic Leveraging Social Media to Create a “Tipping Point” in #familynursing. The four presenters are all members of the IFNA Communication Committee, with Wilma and Dr. Bell being co-chairs. Their presentations explored how social media can be used in family nursing education, practice, and research, as the presenters discussed what is currently happening in social media and how it can be applied to promoting the work and ideas in family nursing.

The conference was a wonderful experience, Wilma related. She reiterated how there was literally something for everyone. “Even if you don’t call yourself a family nurse, you’ll find something relevant to your area of interest.” The conference was filled with excellent information and research from around the world. With 458 participants from 31 countries, Canada being the fourth largest group, the conference was truly international. Wilma talked about how exciting it is to see family nursing growing world wide. She relayed what a great experience it was to be a part of the conference with so many nurses dedicated to family health. She said one of her biggest excitements was meeting people whose work she uses in her own teaching, once again reinforcing the connection between education, practice, and research.

To learn more about the conference and the International Family Nursing Association, click on the image below to view their position statements on family nursing education and competencies.

The Public Relations Committee would like to thank Wilma for sharing her experience and promoting the importance of scholarship and connectedness with the global nursing community.