International Nurses Day on 12 May 2018

International Nurses Day on 12 May 2018

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. The International Council of Nurses commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses' Day.

In January 1974, the decision was made to celebrate the day on 12 May as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing. Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses' Day.

“International Nurses Day is an opportunity for nurses to commemorate the life and legacy of Florence Nightingale. I would encourage all nurses to join in by reaching out into their communities to demonstrate and celebrate the impact that modern day nurses make to healthcare,” said Haritha Vijayan Nursing Superiendent CARE Hospitals Hitech City.

Nurses are being called on to reach out to their local communities in celebrating International Nurses Day on May 12.

It is hoped that the international event will allow the public to recognize the hard work of their nurses, while also providing information for young people seeking a career in the health sector.

Those who works with their strong bodies are called peasants, workers with skilled hands are called artisans; those who put their hearts in their work called artists. Where do nurses stand? We have to add devotion in to body, skills and heart –“Nursing is therefore divine”.

It requires an exclusive devotion harder than a preparation, in any painter´s or sculptor´s work; the act is done on flat canvas or gross marble. A nurse works with the living body. While attending to a patient, a nurse in deed is doing service in the temple of God.

Florence Nightingale, the mother of modern nursing profession aptly called nursing as a calling, an awakening, a transformation, a life-long commitment to serve others. Her pioneering efforts in the early 19th century led nursing to grow into own profession, employs thousands of people across the globe. Nightingale practiced nursing symbolizes service and humanity led to create a nursing code of ethics.

Nursing as a profession is consistently ranked as the most trusted occupation in the world. Traditionally nursing was considered as the service providing for only sick, injured and dying person. With the advancement of time and improvement of the profession it included total care of the patients and healthy people. These days the profession has expanded from hospital to community and many other places such as schools, hotels, offices, home industry. Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings.

Nurses perform central role in any health care facility, and their responsibilities range from assisting patients with basic hygiene needs to giving medications and teaching them to care for themselves.

The field of health care is also more diversified, so nurses can choose what area they would like to practice, and refine their education in that particular field. A nurse may choose pediatrics, emergency, hospice, cardiology, or a number of other areas, and focus his or her efforts on the care of patients in that area. Each area requires unique skill set, and nurses take continuing education courses to acquire and hone that skill set.

Today, nursing is a much more diverse field of health care practice. The scope of nursing has increased with more emphasis and priority on preventive and promotional aspect of health care. Similarly, the preventive and promotional nursing are in global priority. It seems that it is difficult to meet the need for the global demand of nursing around the world.

Health care is changing considerably due to rapid advancement of medical sciences and technology. The abundance of clinical research and higher demands of consumers has already transformed nursing in to a knowledge profession.  The information deluge that marks modern times presented a significant challenge to the nursing profession and nursing education. Nurses are now assuming unprecedented roles the healthcare industry and filling leadership roles at hospitals, health systems and other organizations. Nursing in modern times is indeed a very demanding profession that also requires courage and grit besides dedication and commitment.

Not surprisingly, burnout has emerged as a real challenge in modern nursing practice; Even the bravest find the deadly combine of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion difficult to endure. Unattended, burnout can lead to dulled emotions and detachment. It undermines motivation, leaving a sense of hopelessness.  Besides adversely affecting the nurses, burn out also cascades onto the patients they care for.  It is imperative that hospital management addresses the problem associated with long shifts, dealing with the unkind, demanding and arrogant patients, technology intensive working environment, and coping with the adverse events. As healthcare is getting more complex, the responsibility to provide nursing care is turning more critical.

It is therefore important for a nurse to be empowered by the system, not only financially but also in status – giving them power and authority in doing their work. While the advances in technology and health care have indeed made this a brave new world relatively little has changed in nursing: they are paid less, not covered for burnout stress related consequences and protected against abuse by the patients. There are compelling reasons to empower nurses. Powerless nurses are ineffective nurses.