The director of the School of Nursing of the University of Navarra, Maribel Saracíbar from Navarra, was invested as a member of the second most important international nursing organization: the American Honorary Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau International.

The document that the organization presented to the honoree states that "membership in the society is open to nurses who have demonstrated rigorous academic standards and who have achieved exceptional merit, both academically and professionally. These are nurses of proven leadership qualities and ability for the development professional." Proposed by Boston College, the nomination took place during the trip that the director and assistant director of the University School of Nursing, Amparo Zaragoza, made to several U.S. counterpart centers.

"We have selected these centers because they are at the top of the U.S. rankings," explained Professor Saracíbar, who also stated that one of the aims of the visit was to obtain data that would facilitate the training of highly qualified nursing graduates. "We have set as a priority goal the preparation of our professors. We are trying to get everyone to achieve doctorate". The director of the School of Nursing of the University of Navarra added that this measure favors the development of lines of research in nursing, "one of the most important challenges we have taken on". Among others, she highlighted the work that the School has initiated in the development of humanistic aspects of nursing; care for terminally ill patients; neurological patients; and Education for health.

training integral part of the nurses

Maribel Saracíbar stressed that in Spain there is a need to train nurses at all academic levels. In fact, the visit to nursing centers in the USA allowed her to learn about the importance they attach to the comprehensive training of their student body since they began to offer programs in the 1950s-1960s licentiate degree. "This led to the transition from a more technical and biomedical nursing model to a more humanistic one, which meant the incorporation of subjects such as Philosophy nursing, psychology, anthropology and sociology, among other basic subjects," she concluded.