By Michelle Kenyon, EBMT Nurses Group President
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12th, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) theme for 2024 is: Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care.
We use May 12th to acknowledge and celebrate the valuable and innovative work that nurses do, not just today, but every day throughout the year. Nursing underpins healthcare yet, widespread conflict, increasing costs of living and the impact of our changing environment have added further threats to nursing. The International Council of Nursing calls us to highlight the need for nursing to be seen as an investment, instead of a cost, in order to “reshape” global perceptions of nursing’s economic and societal benefits.
As nurses working in the field of transplant and cell therapy, the value and importance of nursing is well recognised and respected. It’s written that when Donnall Thomas arrived at work that morning in 1990 when he got the call about the Nobel Prize, the first place he went was the nursing station on the transplant ward to thank them.
We know it takes a certain kind of nurse to work in this environment; while it is highly rewarding, it is technically complex and challenging. We absorb our patients’ triumphs and tragedies and when we stand at the bedside, we care with compassion and understanding. Vital to our commitment is the sense of feeling valued but the emotional toll of our work can be significant. In 2024, the need to nurture the health and well-being of our teams is essential to retain our excellent nurses and also to help build awareness and resilience to deliver the very best in patient care.
The IND 2024 campaign is clear: Value, protect, respect and invest. The investment in nursing is necessary for sustainability, to build a strong, enduring and adaptable workforce that can meet the health needs of our global community.
We are nurses, we are experts, we are leaders and we make a difference every day. Today, May 12th, be proud, make yourself heard and celebrate International Nurses Day 2024.
#IND2024 #OurNursesOurFuture