History of CARRN

From time to time Canadian rural nurses have discussed the possibility of creating a national interest group for rural and remote nurses. In 2002, a group of Canadian nurses with a sincere interest in rural and remote nursing determined that work needed to be done to make this possibility a reality. Over the course of two years, the small group of nurses implemented a variety of strategies to connect with rural and remote nurses across Canada to assess and generate interest with nurse colleagues for a national group that would connect nurses practicing in rural and remote settings.

In 2003, the Canadian Association for Rural and Remote Nursing (CARRN) achieved emerging group status under the auspices of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and held the first general meeting in June 2004. In late 2004, CARRN received affiliate group status and currently has membership from across Canada.