2020 is Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year, designated by the World Health Organisation as the first ever global Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
In this proposed year of acknowledgement and celebration, some nurses are being more challenged, are learning more, and are more publicly valued than ever.
Last month WHO published the first ever State of the World's Nursing Report saying, "Nurses account for more than half of all the world’s health workers, providing vital services throughout the health system. Around the world they are demonstrating their compassion, bravery and courage as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and never before has their value been more clearly demonstrated."
International Nurses Day will acknowledge the global nursing community on Tuesday 12 May.
Annette Kennedy is President of the International Council of Nurses and says, “Politicians understand the cost of educating and maintaining a professional nursing workforce, but only now are many of them recognising their true value. Every penny invested in nursing raises the wellbeing of people and families in tangible ways that are clear for everyone to see."
Speaking about the State of the World's Nursing Report, she says, "This report highlights the nursing contribution and confirms that investment in the nursing profession is a benefit to society, not a cost.”
A demonstration of an investment in the nursing profession in Victoria is the thriving community of practice and research development incubator that is the VCCC Nurse-led Research Hub.
The Hub is an online platform to promote nurse education and training in research, and is a progressive example of a multi-faceted approach to empowering staff through increased opportunities for knowledge gain and network building. It supports nurses to develop their research skills to advance the care of people affected by cancer.
Professor Mei Krishnasamy was appointed Research and Education Lead for Cancer Nursing across the seven clinical partners of the VCCC in 2016. Mei says, "Enabling nurses to strengthen the knowledge base that underpins our practice through providing opportunity for research training, is essential to achieving the goals set in the WHO report."
To learn more about the VCCC Nurse-led Research Hub, join the community and access online Hub resources, register your details or contact Natasha Moloczij e: [email protected]
