History of CABN

History of the formation of the Canadian Association of Burn Nurses (CABN)

In 1986 a small group of dedicated burn nurses brought forward the idea to establish a national nursing organization. It was recognized that the care of burn patients is unique and other burn nurses across the country would benefit from sharing their knowledge and expertise at biennial meetings. After the proposal received positive support, on January 17, 1987 the speciality group formally convened and was named the Canadian Association of Burn Nurses. The first meeting was held in Toronto and was attended by 5 burn nurses representing 4 provinces.

In order to ensure that the CABN remained a viable group during its inception period, it was decided that those present would constitute the first executive board that remained in place until 1990, when the first elections were held.

The First Executive Board of the CABN was:

President: Nora-Gene Goodwin

Vice President: Catherine McAndie

Secretary /Newsletter Editor: Deanna Paulson

Treasurer: Judy Knighton

The Canadian Association of Burn Nurses first set of bylaws was adopted in September of 1990. The CABN is a “Special Interest Group” and holds membership in the Canadian Nurses Association as an Associate Member. The mission and mandate has always been to promote the highest standards of practice in the field of burn nursing and to promote educational programs to achieve these standards. To this end the CABN continues to provide a biennial conference and provide a bursary to support education and research.