The idea for the Federation of International Nurses in Endocrinology (F.I.N.E) was conceived at the joint International Congress of Endocrinology (ICE) and ENDO 2014 meeting held in Chicago, IL, USA.

Initially, F.I.N.E had nurse representatives from the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. It has since expanded to represent nurses globally, including colleagues from Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, China, Vietnam and India to name a few, and includes both adult and paediatric nurses.

 

EARLY SUCCESS

At the first meeting, it was agreed that the education and training  of endocrine nurses would be a fundamental aspect of F.I.N.E, and  that inclusion of nurse programmes at learned Society meetings was important.

One of the group’s first objectives was to develop a nurse programme for ICE 2016 in Beijing, China in collaboration with the Chinese Society of Endocrinology. This bore fruit last September, when ten nurses presented material at the conference. They included colleagues from the UK, China, USA, Belgium, Vietnam and Australia, and encompassed paediatric and adult perspectives, as well as diabetes and endocrinology.

The programme was a great first success. It was relevant not only to nurses in endocrinology, but also to healthcare professionals working in areas with no experience of endocrine specialist nurses. Links with these healthcare professionals have now been made, and aspects of practice and future collaborative work have commenced.

Of course, a visit to the Great Wall of China is a must do in Beijing (pictured), and the F.I.N.E nurses all had a great trip.

 

DELIVERING F.I.N.E’S VISION

F.I.N.E’s vision for the future is to create ‘An accessible global network of nurses in endocrinology promoting optimal health outcomes for people with endocrine disorders’.

The group’s mission is to promote excellence in clinical care by advancing the science and art of endocrine nursing throughout the world. F.I.N.E will support this through the professional development of nurses in endocrinology practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, research and education. Our collective membership will seek to raise awareness of endocrinology practice with the global public.

We took our first steps in collaboration by visiting the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong on our way to ICE 2016 in Beijing. Here, Professor Karen Lam kindly hosted our day-long visit. The team took time out from their busy schedules to show us the typical daily practice for endocrine and diabetes nurses in one of Hong Kong’s busiest hospitals, and we appreciated their very warm welcome. While practice does differ greatly around the world, it is encouraging to see that nurse-led services are reaching all corners of the globe!

 

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The conference in Beijing certainly has been the highlight of our endocrine careers to date. The nurse presenters had all worked very hard, and the work we are doing around the world really is inspiring.

We continue to look forward to collaborating with one another, and would welcome more input and membership from other endocrine nurses from around the world. Here’s to ICE 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa!

 

Lisa Shepherd & Kate Davies

Lisa is Chair of the SfE Nurse Committee and an Endocrinology Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust.

Kate is a member of the SfE Nurse Committee and a Senior Lecturer in Children’s Nursing at London South Bank University.

 

If you would like to contact the Federation of International Nurses in Endocrinology, please email Chris Yedinak or Lisa Shepherd.