Interview with
Ber OOMEN, Executive Director of the European Specialist Nurses Organisation &
Boris ILIĆ, Lecturer at the University of Applied Health Sciences of Zagreb, President of the Alpha Alpha Gamma Chapter of Sigma Nursing
M. OOMEN, what is the mission of the European Specialist Nurses Organisation (ESNO)?
ESNO is a non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring the recognition of specialist nursing in the European Union and Greater Europe. In this respect, ESNO is the political voice of specialist nurses, speaking on their behalf and from their point of view. ESNO also provides expert advice and consultation to ministries of health, national healthcare systems and patient organisations, and shares best practice on issues relating to nursing specialisation.
Moreover, ESNO implements strategies and policies in the field of professional development for nurses at EU level. Its missions include the promotion and professional status of qualified specialist nurses, and the development of specialist nursing education, practice and research. More generally, ESNO promotes the quality and safety of care and the mobility of the workforce in Europe.
What are your organisation’s views on the main challenges facing specialist nurses today?
Specialist nurses are facing a problem of recognition of their skills and competencies in some countries. They are themselves also not assertive enough, which leads to situations where frustration prevails. A deep-rooted hospital culture separates the medical role, reserved for doctors, from the care role, reserved for nurses. ESNO wants to bring them closer together, so that nurses can carry out certain procedures such as vaccinations, perform certain diagnoses and so on.
Nurses should be able to benefit from high-quality training that enables them to gain more autonomy and climb the career ladder and assume leadership positions. At present, the innovations we are seeing in the field of treatment are not matched by innovations in the evolution of the tasks performed by nurses. This global reorganisation requires integrated thinking on the part of all stakeholders, and greater financial investment for education on the part of healthcare institutions, both private and public.
Could this be the answer to the shortage of nurses the EU is currently facing?
The situation described is certainly one of the reasons for the nursing shortage. We need a long-term, well-thought-out plan to rectify the situation. A paradigm shift that would make work more attractive and rewarding. Our next in person conference on 4 November 2025 in Brussels is called “Health Workforce and Care Strategy for the future of Europe”. We will examine how retention standards impact workforce stability and professional growth. We will also share best practices in education and certification and propose actionable steps toward a unified European approach. You are all welcome to participate.
M. ILIĆ, ESNO and Sigma Theta Tau have a cooperation agreement. Could you please explain the framework and objectives of this cooperation?
Yes, that’s right — ESNO and the Alpha Alpha Gamma chapter of Sigma are beginning to work together more closely, and it’s a collaboration we’re proud to be part of. Our cooperation with ESNO reflects a shared goal: to elevate the role and recognition of nurses across Europe. While ESNO focuses on policy advocacy and professional recognition at the EU level, our chapter complements this by working at the individual and institutional levels — equipping nurses with the skills, networks, and academic grounding needed to lead within that evolving system.
In May 2025, we put that collaboration into action by co-organising the ESNO conference in Zagreb, which gathered healthcare professionals, educators, and decision-makers to discuss strategies for strengthening the European nursing workforce. It’s the first of what we hope will be many joint efforts aimed at making nurses more visible and influential in shaping the future of healthcare.
Which are the main challenges nurses are facing in Europe? The solutions?
From what we observe in our community and throught Europe, some of the biggest challenges facing nurses today include persistent workforce shortages, limited recognition of specialist competencies, and a lack of structured opportunities for advancement. Too often, nurses are well-educated and highly skilled, but remain underutilised or excluded from leadership roles and policy discussions.
