Call for Abstracts

Demonstrate the implementation and impact of CNA’s 2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses  across designations, professional domains (i.e., practice, leadership, research, policy, education), health systems, and populations. Share nurse-led, community-led, or team-based actions and initiatives that improve accountability and outcomes (e.g., equitable access, patient/client/person (now referred to as ‘client’) experience, individual and population health, etc.).

Highlight the application of at least 1 of the 7 Values:

• Value 1: Honouring the Dignity and Autonomy of All People
• Value 2: Valuing Relationships and Humanizing Care
• Value 3: Maintain Integrity and Accountability in Nursing Practice
• Value 4: Pursuing Truth and Reconciliation
• Value 5: Promoting Social Justice
• Value 6: Providing Competent Professional Nursing Practice
• Value 7: Preserving Privacy and Confidentiality

Identify a clear objective (e.g., ethical decision-making, program improvement, policy adoption, co-design with partners, population and health outcomes, etc.).

Specify impacts or measurable results, including community engagement. For example, measurable results may include increased community participation rates, equitable access, improved health outcomes, and successful adoption of new policies.

For Indigenous-focused submissions, please identify how you’re advancing the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (18–24) by embedding cultural safety and humility, Indigenous data sovereignty, relational accountability, and respectful partnership as nonnegotiable standards.

Nurses are at the forefront of driving innovation in healthcare by leveraging both new and existing technologies. Their leadership in the adoption and integration of advanced technologies and tools, including artificial intelligence, is instrumental in transforming care delivery.

Specify how the application of technology under nursing leadership is enhancing the client experience and contributing to improved health outcomes. Identify how these advancements enable more efficient, responsive, and personalized care, reflecting a commitment to excellence and equity in nursing practice. Successful submissions will link innovation to policy levers like digital investments and data sovereignty and demonstrate measurable impacts on individuals, communities, nurses, and teams. Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• Virtual Care Models (e.g., remote patient monitoring, on-demand, telehealth, etc.)
• Digital Solutions (e.g., electronic health records, AI, mobile health apps, etc.)
• New & Emerging technologies (e.g., wearables, robotics, smart medical devices, automated systems, new medical products, genomics, etc.)

This stream highlights nursing expertise and specialty nursing practice (SNP) roles across the continuum of care as critical drivers for health system improvement. Submissions should demonstrate how specialized nursing knowledge and practice is central to high quality and comprehensive care, improves the client experience, and achieves better outcomes while bending the cost curve. Identify systems, structures, and mechanisms that support the development and recognition of specialized nursing knowledge and practice, optimize specialty certification and strengthen both intraprofessional and interprofessional collaboration, to achieve improved and equitable care. Showcase SNP excellence across care settings through:

• Leadership
• Education
• Policy and advocacy
• Networking
• Research
• Evidence-informed practice

The Canadian Network of Nursing Specialties (CNNS) is a network of national associations in a variety of specialized areas of nursing. The CNNS contributes to CNA’s national nursing voice and its work to shape and influence health policy and drive systemic change.

According to the 2024 Canadian Institute of Health Information data, nurses comprise of over 40% of the health workforce in Canada, making it the largest regulated health professional group. The statistics also indicate a troubling trend for nurses under the age of 35, where for every 100 nurses who stay in the profession, another 40 nurses left the profession. There is a clear need to support and develop nurse/co-led solutions that result in nurses’ well-being and retention.

In 2024, Health Canada released the Nursing Retention Toolkit: Improve the Working Lives of Nurses in Canada. Identify the application of the toolkit and at least one of the 8 core themes and underpinning values:

1. Inspired leadership
2. Flexible and balanced ways of working
3. Organizational mental health and wellness support
4. Professional development and mentorship
5. Reduced administrative burden
6. Strong management and communication
7. Clinical governance and infrastructure
8. Safe staffing practices

Submissions should include initiatives that build capacity for nurses within and across health systems to prevent moral distress, vicarious trauma, psychological safety, and improve retention. Submissions should report on outcomes for recruitment and retention strategies and workplace excellence and/or implementation science programs (e.g., Stellar Certification Program, Best Practice Spotlight Organization, EXTRA™ Fellowship Teams Program, etc.).

In 2025, Canada was projected to spend $9,626 per Canadian or 12.7% of its GDP on health expenditures (second highest among OECD countries in 2023). Despite this investment, Canada remains a middle of the pack performer with uneven outcomes, particularly for populations facing inequities. As Canada’s largest group of regulated health care professionals, nurses’ leadership and expertise (e.g., post-licensure credentials and qualifications) needs to be fully optimized to drive health system reform and transformation. Referencing CNA’s Policy Roadmap for 2025 and Beyond, share bold and practical strategies to create resilient health systems across Canada. Submissions should demonstrate co-design with partners and collaborators, proven strategies or solutions, explicit actionable policy pathways, and ongoing evaluation.

Select one or more of the five key priorities and identify the specific actions:

• Improve Access & Quality by Implementing Bold Policy Levers
• Unleash the True Value of the Nursing Workforce to Meet Population Health Needs
• Invest in the Well-Being of the Health Workforce & Prioritize National Workplace Protections
• Tackle the Social Determinants of Health & Invest in Planetary Health
• Strengthen Our Public Health System & Combat Mis-/Disinformation

Abstracts should have clear objectives and concrete and practical solutions to inspire nurses across Canada to create change, drive nurse/co-led strategies or solutions, and lead system transformation.

• Workshop (in-person)
  An individual abstract for a 45-60 minute interactive workshop offering practical, evidence-based strategies and tools. The session is designed for active learning, problem-solving, and skill development, with actionable approaches applicable across Canada.
• Oral Presentation (in-person)
  An individual abstract for a 10-minute presentation slot and 5 minutes for questions. Up to four related abstracts are grouped for concurrent sessions by the planning committee.
• PechaKucha (in-person)
  An individual abstract for 6 minute and 40 second presentation. This format is useful for introducing new topics, presenting a challenge or a call to action, and sharing knowledge and experience in a focused, time-boxed way. Your presentation will include 20 slides running automatically for 20 seconds each. For more information checkout the PechaKucha 20x20.
• Poster Presentation (in-person)
  An individual abstract for a poster display with at least one author present during the poster sessions. The poster session will provide opportunities for networking and collaboration and encourage feedback and engagement with peers.
• E-Poster Presentation (virtual)
  An individual abstract for a digital display. Presenters do not have to be available for this format. A pdf format of the poster will be displayed for attendees. The committee may also consider a pre-recorded presentation if accepted.

The following information will be required to submit the abstract:

• Corresponding Author(s): full name, credentials, role/title, organization, email, etc.
• Other Author(s): full name, credentials, role/title, organization
• Stream: (select one primary stream from above)
• Title: working title for presentation
• Target audience: (e.g., policy makers, executives/managers, direct care nurses, educators, researchers, students, etc.)
• References: for most relevance in APA format

For the main body of the abstract please do not include author names. The maximum is 400 words and should include the following:

• Objective(s) of the initiative or project and expected learning outcomes of the presentation
• Methods/Approach and key insights/results of the initiative or project
• Practice relevance and implications for nurses, health systems, clients, and/or communities
• Activities for Interactive workshops only (additional information will be requested)

CNA is committed to advancing Reconciliation and cultural safety. Initiatives or projects that focus on Indigenous Peoples and Communities must:

• Explain meaningful partnerships and community engagement
• Describe how consent and local protocols were respected
• Address data sovereignty and cultural responsiveness

The submissions will be independently peer-reviewed by reviewers who identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and have appropriate expertise.

As part of your submission, you must:

• Summarize how the relevant Indigenous Peoples or communities were engaged in the preparation of this submission and how their consent was obtained; and
• Describe how relevant social, political, and historical context and/or Indigenous voices are included in the interpretation and dissemination of findings.

CNA is committed to combatting racism and discrimination within the nursing profession and across health systems. Initiatives or projects that focus on African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities and/or other racialized groups and communities must:

• Explain meaningful partnerships and community engagement
• Describe how consent and community needs were respected
• Address data sovereignty and cultural responsiveness

The submissions will be independently peer-reviewed by reviewers who are from racialized communities and have appropriate expertise

As part of the submission, you must:

• Summarize how the relevant racialized communities were engaged in preparation for this submission and how their consent was obtained; and
• Describe how relevant social, political, and historical contexts and/or racialized voices are included in the interpretation and dissemination of findings.

You may submit multiple abstracts, but accepted abstracts per author may be limited based on total submissions and presentation slot availability. Abstracts may also be assigned to a different presentation format than requested.

You may submit your abstract in English or French and if accepted you may present in English or French. All French language submissions will be reviewed by a Francophone review committee.

Abstracts will undergo a double-blind peer review according to the specified criteria:

• Relevance & alignment with conference theme and selected stream; demonstrates the expertise and impact of nurses and the nursing profession.  
• Originality of concepts, activities, programs, research, methodologies, or evaluation strategies; demonstrates divergent thinking and the implementation of innovative solutions.
• Insights/results demonstrate outcomes of an initiative completed or in progress; clearly articulate the relevant data and information.
• Objectives are realistic and will be of interest to attendees; learning outcomes clearly defined.
• Clarity: clearly written, easy to understand, and follows submission format.
• Overall impression: well-synthesized with clear alignment in purpose, approach, insights, and implications.

Indigenous-focused submissions & submissions related to racialized communities will be evaluated with additional criteria aligned with above mentioned submission criteria.