International Nurse Day 2023 – To All The Hardworking Nurses

Every year on May 12—the anniversary of Florence Nightingale‘s birth—people all around the world celebrate International Nurses Day (IND) to recognize the contributions that nurses contribute to society.

Background

This day has been observed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) since 1965. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was asked to declare a “Nurses’ Day” in 1953 by Dorothy Sutherland, an official in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare of the United States, but he declined.

Due to the fact that it marks the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the creator of modern nursing, it was decided to observe the day on May 12 in January 1974. The International Nurses’ Day Kit is created and distributed annually by ICN. Materials for education and public awareness are included in the kit for use by nurses worldwide. Since 1998, May 8 has been recognized as National Student Nurses Day.

Florence Nightingale’s Background

British nurse Florence Nightingale, who founded the field of trained nursing, was born in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820, and passed away in London, England, on August 13, 1910. She was given the responsibility of caring for the military in Turkey during the Crimean War as a volunteer nurse. Her main worry was hygiene because the patients’ quarters were infested with rats and fleas and only had access to one pint of water per person every day for all uses. She paid for the goods out of her own pocket. She also spent a lot of time in the wards, where her nighttime visits providing personal care to the injured helped to develop the nickname “Lady with the Lamp.”

In India, the Army Medical School and a Sanitary Department were founded as a result of her efforts to enhance soldiers’ welfare. She helped reform workhouses, founded the first nursing school with a scientific foundation, and played a key role in establishing training programs for midwives and nurses in workhouse infirmaries. In 1907, she became the first female recipient of the Order of Merit.

International Nurse Day In 2023

The theme for the International Nurse Day 2023 is Our Nurses. Our Future.

The global campaign Our Nurses. Our Future will outline the goals we have for nursing in the future in order to meet the difficulties facing global health and promote global health for all. We must apply the lessons we’ve learned from the pandemic to our future actions.

ICN and other organizations have demonstrated the need for change and made calls for action through the publishing of the State of the World’s Nursing Report, the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing & Midwifery, the Sustain and Retain in 2022 and Beyond, and many other significant publications. Now is the time to show what these investments will mean for nursing and healthcare in the long run. The campaign “Our Nurses. Our Future.” will highlight nurses and a better future.

In the run-up to International Nurses Day, a number of resources will be made available, including the IND posters. A social media toolkit, a Charter for Change, outlining 10 policy actions that employers and governments must take to build and maintain healthcare systems that are secure, affordable, accessible, and responsive, as well as a report outlining prescriptive evidence informing the actions necessary for advancement and transformation are all included in this.