title: The ICN Leadership For Change™ Programme--20 years of growing influence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this article was to present experiences from the field in the context of the International Council of Nurses' Leadership for Change™ programme, which celebrates 20 years of excellence in 2016 for developing the leadership and management capacity of nurses worldwide.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The programme was launched in 1996 in order to boost nurse participation in the healthcare policy-making process, globally, and to foster within the nursing profession the requisite skills for nurses to lobby for and assume a greater responsibility in the leadership and management of health care services.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Over the course of two decades, the programme has been implemented in cooperation between ICN, national nurses associations, the World Health Organization, Ministries of Health and a variety of donor organizations such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and development agencies such as USAID and AUSAID. The programme has been implemented in more than 60 nations throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and the Pacific Islands, to name a few regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article offers an overview of the impact that certified ICN LFC nurse trainers and their colleagues have had in the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and the United States of America and is affiliated islands and the North Pacific Islands.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty years of growth and empowerment are now the ongoing legacy of the ICN LFC Program, which has graduated and deployed nurse trainers around the world and achieved significant advances in the professional development of nurse leaders on an international scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurse leaders can improve the health and well-being of their nations in collaboration with consumers and other key stakeholders. Nurse leaders are critical in improving health systems, their work places and broader societal challenges through sound nursing practice, education, research and evidence-based health and social policy change.
authors.affiliation: Stephanie L. Ferguson and Associates, LLC, Amherst, VA, USA.|Bing Stanford in Washington Program, Amherst, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: MOH, Abu Dhabi, UAE.|UAE NMC, Ministry of Health, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Rifai
authors.affiliation: Nursing Services Section, Ministry of Health, Dubai, UAE.
authors.forename: Maisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maay'a
authors.affiliation: Vietnam Nurses Association, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Luu Bich
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Public Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.|Global Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Alice M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casken
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shannon
authors.affiliation: Ebeye Hosp, RMI, Ebeye, Marshall Islands.|MOH/Ebeye, Ebeye, Marshall Islands.
authors.forename: Maria Diana
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Napa
authors.affiliation: Ebeye Hosp, RMI, Ebeye, Marshall Islands.
authors.forename: Malia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samson-Langidrik
authors.affiliation: KAHCB-MOH/Ebeye, RMI, Ebeye, Marshall Islands.
authors.forename: Glorine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jeadrik
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D005544:Forecasting; D006291:Health Policy / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007392:International Council of Nurses / Q000266:history* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007857:Leadership; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000266:history*; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000639:trends*; D009937:Organizational Objectives
keywords: Developing Countries; Health Policy; Health Systems Reform; International Collaboration/Cooperation; International Issues; Nursing; Nursing Capacity Building; Nursing Leadership; Policy; Social Policy; Staff Development; Workforce Issues; World Health Organization