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Moments from WIN's History!

Jo Eleanor Elliott, Jeanne Kearns and Carol Lindeman have collaborated to provide a special view to moments from WIN's history. Watch for a new posting each week.

  1. The first focus is on "Membership Categories: A Reflection of a Changing Nursing World." This brief history of the development of the organization and of the membership categories is a fascinating look at key decisions in our proud history.
  2. The second focus is on "Mission and Goals: A Reflection of a Changing Nursing World." This article provides a brief history of the original and changing mission and goals of the organization as it reflects the changing nursing world.

Membership Categories: A Reflection of a Changing Nursing World

1956 Committee of Seven, which was appointed by the Executive Director of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) designed the structure and program of the Western Council on Higher Education for Nursing (WCHEN).
The WICHE Commissioners adopted nursing as a program within WICHE.

1957 The first organizational meeting of WCHEN was held. The Charter, as accepted at the meeting, established the functions of WCHEN and that membership was to include universities and colleges in the West that offered nursing programs at the baccalaureate and higher levels.
The first charter to be returned was from the University of Hawaii , signed by the acting president.

1962 The Charter was revised to include associate degree programs.
Boise Junior College was the first institution with an AND program to sign the charter.

1973  Based on the report of a Task Force, the Council representatives approved the recommendation that each member school could designate a representative to the council from a clinical agency.

1979 Subscriptions to WCHEN were made available to individuals and health care agencies.

1982 The Council approved bylaws for WCHEN. These bylaws replaced the charter.
The Division of Affiliated Clinical Agencies was created to increase opportunities for nurses from clinical agencies that participated in educational programs of schools of nursing to be members of the council.

1985 Based on the report of the Expanded Committee of Seven, the Council approved the motion to create a new western regional nursing organization that was to be self-supporting, effective July 1, 1986.
The WICHE Commission approved the separation of the nursing organization from WICHE.

1986 The representatives approved the Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) as the name of the organization and adopted the bylaws for WIN.
The four categories of membership established in WIN were constituent, associate, honorary and special.

1996 WIN moved to Portland , Oregon .

1998 The organization was incorporated in accordance with the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Law.

2001 The categories of membership were changed to agency, individual, student, agency associate, individual associate and retired.
Nursing Research was added as a benefit of WIN membership .

Mission and Goals: A Reflection of a Changing Nursing World

1957

The charter, as accepted at the first organizational meeting of the Western Council on Higher Education for Nursing (WCHEN), established the functions of WCHEN as follows:

  1. Recommend to the Commission policies relating to graduate education and research in nursing.
  2. Provide a medium for the exchange of ideas and the sharing of experiences of the individual Western institutions of higher education, which offer programs of education for professional nursing.
  3. Undertake cooperative planning for nursing educational programs within the Western region under the auspices of the Commission.
  4. Identify problems with respect to nursing education, which need cooperative study.
  5. Stimulate research in nursing within the colleges and universities of the Western region.

1973

Based on the work of a Task Force, the Council established 21 goals for WCHEN. Among these goals were:

  1. Conduct an ongoing regional needs and research in nursing study.
  2. Have a continuing education network so that continuing education is accessible to every part of nursing in the West.
  3. Increase substantially (quintuple) research efforts in the next five years with clinical nursing having top priority.
  4. Increase the knowledge and skills of all nurses, especially those in leadership positions.
  5. Improve health care of underserved groups, e.g., older populations, ghettos, specific ethnic groups.
  6. Increase the number of ethnic minorities and men in nursing.
  7. Establish additional doctoral programs in the West (by 1983, these should be seven).

1982

With the approval of the bylaws, the council approved the goals statement. The stated goals of WCHEN were to serve to improve access to higher education, to advance collaborative efforts among nurses in education and service, to assist states in providing and adequate supply of nurses and to assist schools of nursing to increase quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of education programs.

1985

The representatives approved Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) as the name of new western regional organization. At the meeting, the mission statement and the goals were approved.

“The mission of WIN is to influence positively the quality of health care for people in the West through monitoring relevant issues and trends and through designing, implementing, and evaluating regional action-oriented nursing strategies in nursing education, nursing practice, and nursing research.

The goals of WIN are to:

  1. Promote proactive stances to health care issues and trends which foster the partnership between nursing practice and nursing education;
  2. Promote a strong regional voice and network for nursing in the West;
  3. Promote quality nursing educational programs that are responsive to evolving needs of the health care delivery system;
  4. Promote quality nursing practice through innovative approaches to the delivery of health care;
  5. Facilitate the development of nurse leaders;
  6. Monitor and project requirements for nursing in the West based on societal trends and health care issues;
  7. Promote strong regional societies which promote improvement or advancement of nurses and nursing.”

2001

The Governing Assembly approved bylaws amendments. The current mission and goals of WIN are stated in the bylaws:

“The mission of WIN is to provide among nurses in the West visionary leadership in nursing research, practice and education to improve the health of the public.

The goals of WIN are to:

  1. Promote a strong regional voice and network for nurses in the West;
  2. Advance nursing research in the West;
  3. Promote quality nursing practices that improve nursing care, are research based, and respond to the needs of the consumer in an evolving health care system;
  4. Promote quality nursing educational programs that are responsive to the needs of consumers in an evolving health care system;
  5. Disseminate quality nursing research, education and practices;
  6. Promote proactive stances to health care issues, policies and trends;
  7. Foster partnerships among nurses in education, practice and research;
  8. Facilitate the development of nurse leaders fro education, practice and research;
  9. Monitor and project requirements for nursing in the West, based on societal trends and health care issues; and
  10. Provide recognition to individuals who have advanced nursing in the West.”

2003

WIN completed a strategic planning process, which gathered and used input from members, committees and the Board. The organization implements it bylaws through the following mission, vision and goals:

Mission : The Western Institute of Nursing exists to bring together a diverse community of nurses in a shared commitment to advance nursing science, education and practice to improve health outcomes.

Vision : The Western Institute of Nursing: Shaping health care through discovery and innovation.

Goals: WIN advances nursing science, education and practice through:

  1. Creating a forum for exchange of scholarship and research related to:
    •  Reducing health disparities and improving health status;
    •  Addressing acute and chronic health conditions;
    •  Building community capacity;
    •  Facilitating community partnerships;
    •  Improving care to vulnerable populations;
    •  Developing innovative and cost-effective practices;
    •  Achieving nurse sensitive outcomes;
    •  Addressing nursing workforce supply and demand;
    •  Advancing health policy;
  2. Promoting culturally competent care and education;
    •  Developing innovative education programs; and
    •  Strengthening clinical decision making and critical thinking.
    •  Promoting safe and cost-effective nursing practice through:
    •  Encouraging the use of information technology;
    •  Facilitating the gathering and dissemination of the knowledge and skills of experienced nurses;
    •  Promoting evidence-based practice initiatives; and
    •  Providing a forum for sharing best practices.
  3. Enhancing the career development/trajectory of nurses in academic, research and practice environments through opportunities for:
    •  Networking;
    •  Socialization;
    •  Mentoring; and
    •  Leadership.
  4. Fostering research, practice and educational innovations and improvements through:
    •  Encouraging interdisciplinary, collaborative research and projects;
    •  Providing support/resources for innovations;
    •  Acknowledging substantive research and quality improvement efforts;
    •  Promoting partnerships between nursing education and practice;
    •  Promoting and evaluating best practices in education and practice; and
    •  Providing opportunities for networking and collaboration.
  5. Disseminating nursing research and scholarships that addresses health care, practice and education needs through:
    •  Hosting annual research conferences;
    •  Publishing annual conference proceedings;
    •  Providing educational opportunities; and
    •  Facilitating listserves with research interest groups and centers of research excellence.