Madden Styles' legacy honoured.

Former International Council of Nurses' (ICN) president Margretta (Gretta) Madden Styles from Florida in the United States died in November, surrounded by her Loved ones. Styles received the prestigious Christiane Reimann Prize in 2005 and was president of the Florence Nightingale International Foundation.

Describing her as a scholar, pioneer, and innovator, ICN chief executive Judith Oulton said Styles touched the Lives of thousands of nurses through her teaching, writing, consulting, project work and Leadership. "She spearheaded ICN's definitive work on nursing regulation and met, taught, encouraged and worked with nurses from over 80 countries, at a time when professional regulation was barely visible on health and nursing agendas. Gretta's interest in strengthening the Links between generalist and specialist nurses guided ICN's development of specialist networks, affiliation of international nursing groups and the ICN Forum on Credentialing. She worked tirelessly within the nursing community to create credentials that allow consumers to make intelligent decisions about the quality of services nurses provide."

Styles was a past president of the American Nurses' Association and the driving force behind the creation of the American Nurses' Credentialing Center. She was dean and professor at a number of American university schools of nursing and the author of many articles and books, including On Nursing: A literary celebration.

Wellington nurse researcher Merian LitchfieLd said she was saddened to hear of Style's death. "The term 'professionhood' that she coined in her book On Nursing in the lg80s rang great bells for me. I am so grateful for her scholarship, her understanding of what it means to be a professional practitioner, and the nature and significance of regulation that places us a profession in modern society."