An international programme in nursing and midwifery: building capacity for the new millennium

AIM: The global economy is changing rapidly and frequently affects the ability of the health sector to respond to a variety of needs. Nurses and midwives are reaching across national boundaries to strengthen their ability to improve the health of populations. This article describes an innovative programme of collaboration among different nations to strengthen the capacity of nurses and midwives. BACKGROUND: Over the course of 4 years, nurses and midwives from several countries in East Central Europe, Central America, and the Caribbean came together in the United States and in Europe to learn about opportunities for growth and collaboration to improve professional development, leadership capacity, educational and curricular development, and knowledge about international health. CONCLUSION: Programme participants reported increased capacity to perform their professional roles as a result of their having participated in this programme. More capacity building activities are needed to further enable nursing professionals to meet the demands for health care around the world.