Nurses Day
International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated every year all around the world on 12th
of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale
and to mark the nurses contributions towards people’s health.
nternational Nurses Day 2015
International Nurses Day 2015 would be celebrated by the nurses all across the world on 12th of May, at Tuesday.
International Nurses Day History
Nurses Day was first proposed by the Dorothy Sutherland (an officer
from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare) in the year
1953 and first proclaimed by the President Dwight D. Eisenhower. And it
was first celebrated by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in the
year 1965.
In the month of January in 1974, the 12th of May was
declared to be celebrated as the birthday anniversary of the founder of
modern nursing, the Florence Nightingale. International Nurses Day Kit
(having educational and public information materials to be used by the
nurses among public) is prepared and distributed every year by the
International Council of Nurses while celebrating the nurses day.
UNISON (the British public sector union) had asked the ICN in 1999 to
celebrate this day on another date as Florence Nightingale is not
symbolizing the modern nursing. Then, National Student Nurses’ Day was
started celebrating annually on 8th of May since 1998 and National Nurses Week was started celebrating every year from 6th of May to 12th of May since 2003.
International Council of Nurses commemorates the International Nurses Day annually all around the world on 12th
of May as the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale.
International Council of Nurses would distribute an IND Kit in 2014
having educational and public information materials with the theme
“Nurses: A Force for Change – A vital resource for health”. Nurses are
encouraged at this day to comprehensively use this kit throughout the
year through their individual and group activities.
Florence Nightingale (the foundational philosopher of the modern nursing) was born on 12th
of May in 1820. International Council of Nurses established the day in
1974 to be celebrated every year to highlight the importance of nurses
role in providing the best health care services. She became an important
figure of the nursing since Crimean War during 1850s. She, stationed at
the Barrack Hospital, Scutari, reformed the health care services and
nursing and opened “the Nightingale School of Nursing” at the St. Thomas
Hospital, London in 1860.
Promotional and educational activities are organized while
celebrating the International Nurses Day annually to address lots of
nursing issues. The theme of celebration is selected based on nurses and
environment, handling poor, poverty issues and many more. It is
celebrated as a week long event, referred as National Nurses Week, in
many countries like Australia, United States, Canada and etc.
International Nurses Day Celebration
International Nurses Day is celebrated every year by organizing a
candle lamp service in the Westminster Abbey, London. A candle lamp is
handed over from one nurse to another (symbolizing to pass the knowledge
from one nurse to another) to place it on the High Altar. A big
ceremony is also held at the St. Margaret’s Church, the Florence
Nightingale burial place, a day after her birthday.
It is celebrated for week long in the US and Canada as a National Nursing Week from 6th of May to 12th
of May. Varieties of nursing ceremonies are conducted during the whole
week celebration in the Australia. National Nurses Week is the whole
week celebration targeting the health care services on international
level. It is celebrated to recognize the contributions and commitments
of the nurses among common public. American Nurses Association supports
and encourages the celebration of National Nurses Week all through
states and districts nurses associations including other health care
companies and institutions.
Whole week celebration is planned to commemorate the nurses
significant role in caring patients. Activities are held such as
educational seminars, variety of community events, debates,
competitions, discussions and etc. Nurses are appreciated and honored at
this day by distributing gifts, flowers, organizing dinners and etc by
the friends, family members, coworkers (doctors, administrators, and
patients).
Significance of International Nurses Day
It is celebrated annually on 12th of May to celebrate the
birth anniversary of the modern nursing founder, the Florence
Nightingale. Nursing is the largest health care profession in the world
and nurses are the key of achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDG). Nurses are well trained and educated for maintaining the health
and wellness of the patients through all the aspects like
psychosocially, socially and etc.
Nurses have deep practical knowledge of delivering best health care
services. National nurses associations (NNAs) play an important role in
making nurses well informed, advised, encouraged and supported to
deliver better work. NNAs works with the governments and non-government
organizations to strengthen the health care systems as well as create
conditions maximizing the nurses contribution.
International Council of Nurses celebrates this event aiming to
increase the public awareness about the nursing and nurses contribution
towards the health care innovation. Nurses are the fast and first point
of contacting for health services. Nurses are innovatively practiced to
provide free health checkup to the industries indicating their
willingness of improving the health of staffs, to meet all the local
needs, to improve the physical, mental and well-being of the patients
and etc.
International Nurses Day Theme
Every year theme of the International Nurses Day celebration from 1988 to 2014 is mentioned below:
- The theme of 1988 was “Safe Motherhood”.
- The theme of 1989 was “School Health”.
- The theme of 1990 was “Nurses and Environment”.
- The theme of 1991 was “Mental Health – Nurses in Action”.
- The theme of 1992 was “Healthy Aging”.
- The theme of 1993 was “Quality, costs and Nursing”.
- The theme of 1994 was “Healthy Families for Healthy Nation”.
- The theme of 1995 was “Women’s Health: Nurses Pave the Way”.
- The theme of 1996 was “Better Health through Nursing Research”.
- The theme of 1997 was “Healthy Young People = A Brighter Future”.
- The theme of 1998 was “Partnership for Community Health”.
- The theme of 1999 was “Celebrating Nursing’s past, claiming the future”.
- The theme of 2000 was “Nurses – Always there for you”.
- The theme of 2001 was “Nurses, Always There for You: United against Violence”.
- The theme of 2002 was “Nurses Always There for You: Caring for Families”.
- The theme of 2003 was “Nurses: Fighting AIDS stigma, working for all”.
- The theme of 2004 was “Nurses: Working with the Poor; Against Poverty”.
- The theme of 2005 was “Nurses for Patients’ Safety: Targeting counterfeit medicines and substandard medication”.
- The theme of 2006 was “Safe staffing saves lives”.
- The theme of 2007 was “Positive practice environments: Quality workplaces = quality patient care”.
- The theme of 2008 was “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care”.
- The theme of 2009 was “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Care Innovations”.
- The theme of 2010 was “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care”.
- The theme of 2011 was “Closing the Gap: Increasing Access and Equity”.
- The theme of 2012 was “Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action”.
- The theme of 2013 was “Closing the Gap: Millennium Development Goals”.
- The theme of 2014 was: “Nurses: A Force for Change – A Vital Resource for Health”.
- The theme of 2015 would be “Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective”.
