Our nurse our future

Content courtesy of Often referred to as the mother of nursing, Florence Nightingale will be celebrated during Nurses Week and Nurses Month in May. And this year, the contributions of a lesser known, yet extremely important, pioneer in nursing will be celebrated along with Nightingale. Well-known national and international organizations intend to recognize these nurses and also bring attention to current issues in nursing to foster change and progress in the profession. ICN calls for action Howard Catton Every year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) commemorates International Nurses Day on May 12 — Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The theme for this year’s International Nurses Day campaign, entitled “ The ICN’s CEO, Howard Catton, said on International Nurses Day the council plans to release a new report and charter for action that focuses on the future needs of nursing and the healthcare workforce. Catton added that the ICN will present a copy of the report to the World Health Assembly at the end of May and at the ICN Congress in Montreal in July. “There will be actions specifically focused on nurses and the nursing workforce, but there will also be recommendations on what the focus and priorities of our health systems should be as well,” he said. Catton said that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in health systems, such as a lack of personal protective equipment and widespread “We see the support, protection, and investment of our nurses as imperative to e...

Nurses are strong patient advocates. They protect the health and rights of their patients daily. But beyond patient advocacy, nurses can rally on behalf of other nurses and healthcare providers. As a nurse, you can take simple steps to affect real change in your institution, community, or state. "Nursing is not only on the front lines of a global pandemic, but they are also on the front lines of systemic wounds affecting the health of patients each and every day," says Kelsey Noah, BSN, RN, CCRN, an adult intensive care unit nurse in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Nurses are key advocates for changes as they have a unique insight and perspective on healthcare. Here are 15 ways that nurses and The Importance of Activism as a Nurse Nurses are eyewitnesses to the devastating limitations in healthcare. This includes patients who are unable to afford healthcare and medications. "It is imperative that nurses band together to advocate for our patient's healthcare needs, and that includes the reforms needed to improve our healthcare system," Noah says. Nurses have been on the front lines of healthcare for decades. They see firsthand the tragedies that result from inequity. One study found that while nurses are more likely to vote, they are not likely to engage in other political activities. Yet, nurses are in a position to bring to light discrimination, bias, and poor healthcare that can drive change. 15 Ways Nurses and Nurse Educators Can Make a Difference Legislative decisions affect ea...

This piece, posted to commemorate International Nurses Day 2023, was written by the Section Editors for PLOS Global Public Health’s Nursing and Midwifery Section, Laila Ladak and Judy Khanyola. There are approximately 28 million nurses globally making up 60% of the global health workforce [1]. However, there is global mal-distribution of nurse population ratio of 12 nurses per 1 000 population in High Income Countries (HICs) versus 1 nurse or less per 2 000 population in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) [2]. Nurses are often the first point of contact for a patient presenting to a healthcare setting and often spend the most time with the patient compared to other healthcare professionals. Nurses are intrinsic to the well-functioning of health systems around the world. Without their 24-hour presence and their specialized skills in caring for patients, healthcare as we know it would be in shambles. Indeed, during the heyday of the hospital-based model of care, the axiom was “nurses run hospitals.” Even today, with the move towards health promotion and disease prevention, nurses remain at the forefront of delivering preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care – all with a person- and family-centered approach. For nurses to function optimally within any healthcare system, nursing leadership which is “leadership by nurses” needs to be nurtured and exercised. The advent of COVID-19 further exposed the gaps in our existing healthcare systems and highlighted th...

Publish Date: June 7, 2023 In this special edition of Outpatient Surgery Magazine’s Podcast series, we welcome RaDonda Vaught, the former nurse at the center of a case that sparked national outrage and debate about whether healthcare workers should face criminal charges when they commit medical errors. She was sentenced to three years of supervised probation on May 13, 2022, for her role in a deadly drug mix-up. In a wide-ranging conversation, Ms. Vaught offers her perspective on everything from her unique experience with the legal system to safety issues inherent in the healthcare industry to what she has planned for the next phase of her career. For more on the Vaught case read,

Today is International Nurses Day with the theme of our nurses, our future. Nurses are at the frontline of health and approximately 74% of the Pacific healthcare workforce are nurses and the majority of health services are delivered by them. Pacific health leaders have recognised the importance of strengthening the health workforce. This was a key agenda item at the 14 th Pacific Heads of Health Meeting that convened on the 25-27 April in Nadi, Fiji. While Pacific nurses make up more than two-thirds of the healthcare-regulated workforce, many qualified nurses are leaving. The Pacific Community (SPC) works in the region with Pacific Island countries and territories to identify the gaps and with funding support from implementing partners, supports nursing activities to strengthen nursing services. Silina Waqa, Nursing Adviser for the “ Our senior nurses have a wealth of knowledge and experience and through deployments to Tuvalu and Vanuatu they were able to assist the local nursing workforce but also share knowledge and skills as part of capacity development with their counterparts”, she said. SPC remains committed to supporting member countries to strengthen nursing initiatives as it contributes towards achieving universal health coverage for Pacific people.