Today we are celebrating International Nurses Day. This day is celebrated across the world every year on the 12th of May, Florence Nightingale's birthday. The purpose of International Nurses Day is to honour and pay tribute to every single nurse around the world and the incredible work they do.
The themes
For 2021, the overarching theme is ‘Nurses: A Voice to Lead’, and the sub-theme is ‘A Vision for Future Healthcare’. This year, the International Council of Nurses aims to reflect on the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare system and the nursing profession. The themes also focus on how nursing could look in the future and how the profession will transform the next stage of healthcare.
The history of International Nurses Day
International Nurses Day began in 1953, when Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, contacted the president to proclaim a nurse day. At the time, the president did not approve of the day. After several years, the day was eventually approved and has been celebrated since May 12th, 1965. The day was officially named International Nurses Day or IND in 1974.
How you can get involved
Every year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) produces resources to educate the public and nurses about the healthcare industry, International Nurses Day, and the nursing profession. The resources pack includes a report, case studies, posters, videos, an interview, and imagery. You can view previous case studies and International Nurses Day resources here. This year, the ICN is asking nurses to share their thoughts in the form of a case study, of how they think nursing will look in the future as well how the profession will transform the next stage of healthcare. The case studies will be collated and used as part of the International Nurses Day 2021 campaign. If you would like to submit a case study or would like some guidance on creating the case study, click here. You can also view previous case studies and International Nurses Day resources here.
How are we supporting International Nurses Day?
To coincide with both of the themes, we have asked our teams to tell us how they and their colleagues have continued to care for our clients throughout the pandemic and how they're helping to shape the future of healthcare. We will be sharing the video later today on LinkedIn and Facebook so make sure to follow our social media pages to view the video.
We have also been busy creating a Wellbeing and Support Hub for our nurses and healthcare assistants at Thornbury Community Services. The hub is a dedicated online portal tailored to our workers' mental health, wellbeing, and professional development needs. This hub is accessible to Thornbury Community Services workers and can be accessed on our website when they log in to their account. If you would like to join our team of healthcare professionals and receive the excellent benefits we offer, like the Wellbeing and Support Hub, then register with us today here.
Prioritising the mental health of nurses in 2021
International Nurses Day takes place during Mental Health Awareness Week, which is a very important campaign that aims to raise awareness of mental health and mental health problems whilst inspiring organisations to promote the message of good mental health for all.
Our sponsored charity of the year, Mind, has seen a rapid increase in mental health problems during the pandemic. According to the charity, ‘More than half of adults and over two-thirds of young people said that their mental health has gotten worse during the period of lockdown restrictions, from early April to mid-May 2020’. If you’re looking for support, guidance and information about mental health problems, click here.
We have many exciting things taking place this week for International Nurses Day and Mental Health Awareness Week, so make sure to follow our Facebook and LinkedIn pages to find out more.