Dear Members,

I qualified as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in 2004 in the Mater Hospital. Advanced Practice at that time was a fairly new initiative, having been introduced in St James’s Hospital in 1996. Therefore there was just a small cohort of advanced practitioners in the country, the majority of whom worked in Emergency Departments. As the role was unique and still in its infancy in Ireland, I decided that a network would be necessary to support the nurses and midwives in practice, as well as those on the career pathway to advanced practice and to facilitate a system for the sharing of information between groups. The Association however needed to be inclusive of all of the facilitators of advanced practice, in the realisation that advanced practice does not occur in a vacuum. Therefore the Association extended an invitation to Clinical Managers, Directors of Nursing and Midwifery and University Lecturers. In the same vein the Association would not have come to fruition without the help of the other founding members, Paula Mc Brearty and Bernadette Carpenter. It would not have weathered the last thirteen years from that first meeting in the Pillar room of the Mater Hospital where a handful of people gathered, without the steadfastness of those people who were present on that day and are still, members and committee members of the Association today

The remit of an Advanced Practitioner is based on four core concepts: Autonomy in clinical practice; pioneering professional and clinical leadership; expert practitioner; researcher and auditor.

The Association has endeavoured to facilitate, showcase and promote the extra ordinary work of advanced practitioners in all specialities both nationally and internationally.

The IAANMP has come a long way since inception. The ongoing success of the Association is based on the continued support and enthusiasm of its members and its utilisation as a platform for sharing information and support.

Cora O Connor.