Nurses Day is an annual international event that celebrates the contributions and achievements of nurses worldwide. International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 12^th to commemorate the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The day is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of nurses around the world, who work tirelessly to provide quality healthcare services to patients.

International Nurses Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the important role that nurses play in the healthcare system, and to recognize their hard work and dedication to patient care. It is a day to celebrate and honour nurses, and to acknowledge their contributions to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities around the world. It is a day dedicated to recognizing the contributions and achievements of nurses all around the world. Nurses play a vital role in advocating for health equity and ensuring that everyone has access to quality healthcare. Nurses have been at the forefront at all times an also during the covid-19 pandemic response, caring for patients and helping to contain the spread of the virus.

International Nurses Day celebrations typically involve various activities, such as seminars, workshops, and public events to raise awareness about the contributions of nurses to society. The day also provides an opportunity to thank and appreciate the work of nurses and to recognize their efforts in promoting health and wellness around the world. On this day, people around the world take the opportunity to thank nurses for their tireless work, dedication, and commitment to providing high-quality patient care. It is a day to recognize the invaluable contribution of nurses to our communities and to acknowledge the many challenges they face in their profession.

The theme for 2023 International Nurses Day is “Our Nurses Our Future”. Our nurses our Future is a phrase that emphasizes the importance of investing in the nursing profession for the benefit of our future healthcare systems. Nurses play a vital role in healthcare delivery, and their contributions are critical to achieving the best possible health outcomes for patients. Investing in nursing education, training, and development is essential to ensure that we have a highly skilled and competent nursing workforce that can meet the complex and evolving healthcare needs of our communities. Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and their expertise and dedication are essential for ensuring the delivery of high-quality patient care. By supporting and valuing the nursing profession, we can help to attract and retain talented nurses, improve patient outcomes, and build stronger and more resilient healthcare systems for the future. “Our nurses our future” is a call to action to invest in the nursing profession to ensure the continued success and sustainability of our healthcare systems for generations to come.

Nurses Day is important for several reasons

• Recognition and appreciation: Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare system and often work long hours in challenging environments. Nurses Day provides an opportunity to recognize and appreciate their hard work, dedication, and contribution to the well-being of individuals and communities.
• Awareness and education: Nurses Day raises awareness about the role of nurses in the healthcare system and highlights the challenges and opportunities they face. It also provides an opportunity to educate the public about the importance of nursing as a profession and the need to invest in nursing education and training.
• Professional development: Nurses Day provides an opportunity for nurses to reflect on their professional development, exchange ideas, and learn from each other. It is an occasion for professional organizations to hold conferences, workshops, and other events that promote the professional growth and development of nurses.
• Advocacy and policy: Nurses Day is also an opportunity to advocate for policies and programs that support the nursing profession, address healthcare disparities, and improve the quality of care. It provides an opportunity to raise awareness about issues such as nurse shortages, workplace safety, and the need for better compensation and benefits for nurses.
• Hence, Nurses Day is important because it recognizes the crucial role that nurses play in the healthcare system, raises awareness about nursing as a profession, promotes professional development, and advocates for policies and programs that support the nursing profession and improve the quality of care for patients.

It is a day to acknowledge the critical role that nurses play in promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for patients of all ages and backgrounds. The day is celebrated in different ways around the world. Some countries organize events such as conferences, workshops, and seminars to promote nursing education and professional development. Others hold ceremonies and award ceremonies to recognize the achievements and contributions of individual nurses. In recent years, Nurses Day has also been used as an occasion to raise awareness about the challenges facing the nursing profession, such as nursing shortages, workplace safety, and the need for better compensation and benefits for nurses. It is an opportunity to advocate for policies and programs that support the nursing profession and improve the quality of care for patients.

As frontline healthcare workers, nurses are often the first point of contact for patients seeking medical attention, and they play a crucial role in promoting health, preventing illness, and providing holistic care to patients of all ages and backgrounds. Nurses are also instrumental in developing and implementing new healthcare policies and programs that help to improve the health outcomes of individuals and communities. They are involved in research, education, and advocacy efforts aimed at improving healthcare delivery and addressing healthcare disparities.

The phrase “Nurses: A Force for Change” also emphasizes the need for greater investment in nursing education, training, and development, and the creation of policies that support the recruitment and retention of nurses in the workforce. To drive positive change in healthcare, nurses need to be equipped with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to provide high-quality patient care and to lead healthcare innovation. Ultimately, nurses are a powerful force for change in healthcare, and by recognizing their critical role and providing them with the support they need, we can work together to improve healthcare delivery and promote better health outcomes for individuals and communities around the world. From assisting with life-threatening crises to delivering babies and caring for the elderly in their last moments, nurses perform some of the most difficult and heart-breaking tasks in the medical world. As workers who perform the most essential healthcare tasks, nurses serve as the first point of contact for most patients. International Nurses Day honours their contributions and sacrifices and reminds us to thank the medical professionals who keep us healthy.

Nurses are now recognized as highly specialized professionals with a wide range of skills. Today, becoming a nurse requires an extensive study schedule and extreme focus and dedication. This versatile career with dozens of specialties is a crucial link between patients and doctors. The advent of modern nursing is credited to Florence Nightingale, who laid the foundation for professional nursing through her tireless work during and after the Crimean War. As a nursing manager on the frontlines, Nightingale introduced hygiene protocols and other measures that drastically reduced infections and deaths in battlefield hospitals.

Today, Nurses work in a wide range of specialties and settings, from school nurses who administer vaccines to highly specialized oncology nurses who assist in life-saving treatment decisions. Scientific advancements in recent years have dramatically expanded the role of nurses in our health care system, and their knowledge and skills have increased to keep pace with new technologies and methods of treatments. Yet, the very core of nursing—caring for patients at the bedside—remains unchanged. Nurses bring a special compassion and concern for the patient and for the patient’s family. Nurses play a vital role in educating people in how to avoid illness and promote good health.

Nurses are essential to every health care setting—in hospitals, nursing homes, ambulatory care centres, and patients’ homes. Nurses have an enormous amount of knowledge and many diverse skills they spend years perfecting and developing, all the time working in decidedly tough environments where extreme stress is just a part of the job. Nurses help bring new life into the world, care tirelessly for the sick and injured, and sometimes watch the patients they did everything to save pass away despite their best efforts. On many occasions, it was a vigilant nurse who noticed a mistake in time to save someone’s life. Acknowledge the hard work, long hours, and emotional duress that are part of the life of every nurse on International Nurses Day.

Happy Nurses Day: Thank you for dedicating your life to helping others!

(Author is Nursing Research Scholar from Nambla Uri. Email: bandayaabid@gmail.com)