News from FORNA
February 2007

The Finnish Operating Room Nurses Association (FORNA) was founded in 1988 and has around 2600 members today. FORNA has a new chair. Her name is Marja Holopainen. Her three year term began in January this year. FORNA has six board members and they have personal deputy members. The board has about 9 meetings a year.

The association has 30 regional representatives acting as liaison members and promoting the local work around Finland. A training meeting for these representatives is held annually in Helsinki.

The Finnish Operating Room Nurses Association publishes Pinsetti journal four times a year. Every journal has a theme of its own.

The association continues supporting the professional development of FORNA members by granting scholarships for educational purposes such as attending training courses twice a year. Further more scholarships can be applied for financial support to carry out research. Professional activities are also supported in local subgroups by granting for application a certain amount of euros per year for each locally founded group.

The association provides web pages and updates them regularly with the information of coming educational events and other activities in Finland and abroad.

The local workgroup of perioperative nurses arrange the annual national congress. Our last congress in 2006 took place in Kokkola. This year the congress will be held in Tampere. The scientific programme of the congress reflects different perioperative nursing care issues in Finland.

As a member of EORNA, the association also takes part actively in arranging the fifth EORNA congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. Finland has a member in Organizing Committee and she is also a chairperson of Scientific Committee.

FORNA is a member of the Nordic Operating Nurses Association (NORNA). The Nordic representatives meet twice a year. This year the hosting country of NORNA is Sweden. The next NORNA congress will take place in Stavanger, Norway year 2008.

The history book on the perioperative nursing in Finland over the last hundred years was published in the beginning of 2006. The book was published together with The Finnish Nurses Association. The book has been a success.

FORNA has also a member at the International Educational Programme Planning Committee of the World Conference of Surgical Patient Care. The next World Conference will take place in Seoul, South Korea in October 2007.


Merja Fordell, member of EORNA board of directors

In case you want to have more information about FORNA, please explore our web pages in www.forna.org

Contact information:
FORNA
Asemamiehenkatu 4
00520 Helsinki
Finland
e-mail: forna@forna.org