International Nurses Day 2017

Nurses Day

International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated every year all around the world on 12^th of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale and to mark the nurses contributions towards people’s health.

International Nurses Day 2017

International Nurses Day 2017 will be celebrated by the nurses all across the world on 12^th of May, at Friday.

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 12^th 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 8^th of May since 1998 and National Nurses Week was started celebrating every year from 6^th of May to 12^th of May since 2003.

International Council of Nurses commemorates the International Nurses Day annually all around the world on 12^th 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 12^th 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 6^th of May to 12^th 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 12^th 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 was “Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective”.
• The theme of 2016 was “Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving health systems’ resilience”.
• The theme of 2017 is “Nursing: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.