International Nurses Day

Why International Nurses Day is celebrated

International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day celebrated around the world on 12 May (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) of each year, to mark the contributions nurses make to society.

Florence Nightingale,(12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager of nurses trained by her during the Crimean War, where she organised the tending to wounded soldiers. She gave nursing a highly favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of “The Lady with the Lamp” making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965.

In January 1974, 12 May was chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses’ Day Kit. The kit contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere.

Why to Support International Nurses Day

Annette Kennedy, President of ICN, stressed that,

“Vaccination is still one of the most successful and cost-effective treatment to guarantee the health and wellbeing of our populations and, as the frontline of healthcare, nurses are ideally placed to lead the way to ensure effective immunisation practices and coverage.”

By providing nurses with the adequate training and competencies and by broadening their autonomy, countries can extend the reach of prevention programmes to their most vulnerable often found living in remote and deprived areas serviced solely by nurses. Utilizing the personcentred approach of the profession allows nurses to identify the needs and factors that result in poor immunisation systems and they can implement tailored strategies to maximise use by
dispelling misconceptions, educating their patients and advocating for the sick.

Speech for International Nurses Day

Thank you for inviting me here today. I am honoured to help mark International Nurses Day and to celebrate the people who are part of the backbone of our health system.

Nursing has been a profession with high standards and a strong sense of public service for over 150 years. Nurses are amongst the most respected of all of our professions. There are few countrymen whose lives have not been touched by the care and reassurance that nurses provide, every hour of the day, every day of the year.

It is the future of nursing as a profession – not its past – that makes me confident about the young women and men undertaking their nursing education today. Nursing will play an even greater role in delivering a better, sooner, more convenient health care service for this country and world.

Nursing is a profession that spans all social strata.

Theme for International Nurses Day 2018 is “Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right”

The human right to health means that everyone has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, which includes access to all medical services, sanitation, adequate food, decent housing, healthy working conditions, and a clean environment.

The design of a health care system must be guided by the following key human rights standards:

Universal Access to health care
Availability of health care infrastructure
Acceptability and Dignity of patients
Quality: All health care must be medically appropriate
Non-Discrimination:based on health status, race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexuality, disability etc
Transparency :Institutions that organize, finance or deliver health care must operate in a transparent way.
Participation : Individuals and communities must be able to take an active role in decisions that affect their health,
Accountability :Private companies and public agencies must be held accountable for protecting the right to health care .

Nurses play an integral part in the success of our primary health care system. The pressures on our GP workforce and the drive to meet patient demand for more convenient healthcare, means you as nurses are already making a much greater contribution as part of the family health team – and that will increase.

Despite its constant restatement as a policy objective, the role of nurse practitioners in primary care has not progressed as far as many originally envisaged. There are a number of reasons for this, and the new government is looking at these.

We needs to strengthen the role of enrolled nurses.

It is the future of nursing as a profession – not its past – that makes me confident about the young women and men undertaking their nursing education today. Nursing will play an even greater role in delivering a better, sooner, more convenient health care service for our country.

Each and every one of you is committed to helping deliver services that improve the health of our communities.

Thank you for all your great work.

Quotes for International Nurses Day

Some of the quotes on international nurses day are mentioned below:

“If love can’t cure it, nurses can”.

“Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring with or without even a prescription”. – Val Saintsbury

“Nurses are the hospitality of the hospital”. – Carrie Lafet

“A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed”. – Henrik Ibsca

“Nurses are the heartbeat of Healthcare”.

“Women have no sympathy and my experience of women is almost as large as Europe”. – Florence Nightingale

“Apprehension, uncertainty, waiting, expectation, fear of surprise, do a patient more harm than any exertion”. – Florence Nightingale

“Panic plays no part in the training of a nurse”. – Elizabeth Kenny

“I have lived and slept in the same bed with English countesses and Prussian farm women… no woman has excited passions among women more than I have”. – Florence Nightingale

“Hospitals are only an intermediate stage of civilization”. – Florence Nightingale

“Some minds remain open long enough for the truth not only to enter but to pass on through by way of a ready exit without pausing anywhere along the route”. Elizabeth Kenny

“She said the object and color in the materials around us actually have a physical effect on us, on how we feel”. – Florence Nightingale

Themes for International Nurses Day

International Council of Nurses themes for International Nurses Day:

1988 – Safe Motherhood
1989 – School Health
1990 – Nurses and Environment
1991 – Mental Health – Nurses in Action
1992 – Healthy Aging
1993 – Quality, costs and Nursing
1994 – Healthy Families for Healthy Nation
1995 – Women’s Health: Nurses Pave the Way
1996 – Better Health through Nursing Research
1997 – Healthy Young People = A Brighter Future
1998 – Partnership for Community Health
1999 – Celebrating Nursing’s Past, claiming the future
2000 – Nurses – Always there for you
2001 – Nurses, Always There for You: United Against Violence
2002 – Nurses Always There for You: Caring for Families
2003 – Nurses: Fighting AIDS stigma, working for all
2004 – Nurses: Working with the Poor; Against Poverty
2005 – Nurses for Patients’ Safety: Targeting counterfeit medicines and substandard medication
2006 – Safe staffing saves lives
2007 – Positive practice environments: Quality workplaces = quality patient care
2008 – Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care and social care
2009 – Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Care Innovations
2010 – Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care
2011 – Closing The Gap: Increasing Access and Equity
2012 – Closing The Gap: From Evidence to Action
2013 – Closing The Gap: Millennium Development Goals
2014 – Nurses: A Force for Change – A vital resource for health
2015 – Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective
2016 – Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving Health Systems’ Resilience
2017 – Nurses: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
2018 – “Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right”

International Nurses Day : Celebrations

USA

The U.S. celebrates National Nursing Week each year from 6 May to 12 May (the birthday of Florence Nightingale).

Canada

Canada celebrates National Nursing Week each year during the week that includes 12 May, which is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The Canadian Minister of Health instituted National Nursing Week in Canada in 1985.

Singapore

Singapore celebrates Nurses Day on 1 August. Back in the 1800s, a thriving Singapore found itself in need of providing better healthcare and medical services to a growing population

Books for Giving gifts to nurses on International Nurses Day

Nurses Exam Books : Click here

Nurses dictionary : Click here

Day Surgery for Nurses

The nursing input to day surgery has become so refined that it is now a distinct speciality. As the patient is in the hospital for such a short time the nursing rituals need to be honed to a fine art. Pre–assessment and selection is critical and discharge planning begins before admission. This book describes and explains the vital role the nurse plays in the multidisciplinary team. It examines the selection process, the nurse′s role in the theatre and recovery room, and the care needed on the ward.

View price and buy online Click here

Reference Website for International Nurses Day

International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations (NNAs), representing the more than 20 million nurses worldwide. Founded in 1899, ICN is the world’s first and widest reaching international organisation for health professionals. Operated by nurses and leading nurses internationally, ICN works to ensure quality nursing care for all, sound health policies globally, the advancement of nursing knowledge, and the presence worldwide of a respected nursing profession and a competent and satisfied nursing workforce.

International Nurses Day 12 May (Florence Nightingale’s birth)