The 2009 RCN International Nursing Research Conference : celebrating 50 years of nursing research : looking back, moving forward

Abstract

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), a trade union organisation for nurses and midwives from the United Kingdom (UK) hosts an annual International Nursing Research Conference at different venues throughout the UK. The theme for the 2009 conference was ''Celebrating 50 years of nursing research: looking back, moving forward''. This conference, hosted in the Cardiff city hall 24-27 March 2009, was attended by 420 delegates from 22 countries. A keynote address was presented every morning. During the course of the conference six symposia, 60 posters, and more than 200 concurrent papers were presented. Specific issues were also addressed by specialist panels during early morning breakfast sessions, lunch time sessions and late afternoon sessions. It became quite a challenge to decide which sessions to attend every day, with so many concurrent events going on at the same time.