Moving Forward

Author
Nancy L. Stitt
Nazarbayev University; School of Medicine

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill, November 1942

This quote from Winston Churchill has been one of my favorite quotes that I have often used in my professional life. As we start this new year and new decade of 2020, as with the start of every new year, we often look back over the past year, but then always look ahead to the new year in front of us, with resolve to be better or do more by setting personal and professional goals for the coming year.

As ProInCa moves forward into its third and final year, this quote has the utmost relevance. This final third year is not the end…nor are we moving into the beginning of the end of this final year. But what it does mark is the end of the beginning…what we began in December 2017.

What does this mean – “the end of the beginning”? It’s hard to believe that exactly 2 years ago - 2 short years ago - we were designing a logo and moving into the initial phases of development and implementation of the ProInCa project priorities. ProInCa does not end this third year as we approach the project end-date. We are now called to move forward into the most important final phase…that of sustainability.

One of the most important means of sustaining the ProInCa project is through the Center for Nursing Excellence (CNE). We must resolve to make this a priority: to strengthen and move forward this e-Platform. As we approach the end-date that is on the Erasmus+ project paperwork and funding, the CNE should be one of ProInCa’s most important legacies – that will live on beyond the end-date of ProInCa.

Another way we hope to achieve sustainability of the CNE is through the proposal and hopeful funding of our next Erasmus + Capacity Building in Higher Education project: Accelerating Master and PhD Level Nursing Education Development in the Higher Education System in Kazakhstan. This project will accelerate – move forward – the modernization of Master and PhD level nursing education in Kazakhstan, with the capacity to ensure the sustainability of the CNE.

This is a very ambitious year for not only ProInCa on a national and international level, but for Nursing on a global level. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2020 as the “International Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. (WHO, 2019). The year 2020 was selected as it coincides with the 200th anniversary of the birth of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale. The International Year of the Nurse and Midwife creates the opportunity to reflect on our past and to move forward the role of nursing in Kazakhstan to participate in initiatives to advance the health of the Kazakh population. Visit the WHO site to read more: https://www.who.int/campaigns/year-of-the-nurse-and-the-midwife-2020