International Nurses Day 2020

On Tuesday 12 May, we celebrate International Nurses Day! The theme for International Nurses Day 2020 is ‘nursing the world to health’ to highlight their key role in society. Especially with their incredible response to the COVID-19 pandemic, their contribution has been invaluable.

Nurses play a vital role in providing health services around the world. Today is about showing our gratitude to all of the nursing community and celebrating each and every one of them! To make this year’s celebrations even more special, it is also a day for us to celebrate one of the world’s most famous nurses – Florence Nightingale who dedicated her life to helping others.

The work that nursing staff do everyday is vital and this has been made extremely clear with the rise of the covid-19 pandemic. This is a day for us to celebrate all of the work that nursing staff have done and continue to do, all over the world. The work you do is truly remarkable; we are so very grateful for everything you do.

Help us to show our gratitude to nursing staff all over the world! Read on to see how you can get involved!

Herts Nursing community 

We want to show a special thank you to the nursing community at Herts and our local NHS trusts who have been truly remarkable during this difficult time. The work you are doing is outstanding and we are all so very grateful.

To hear from Professor Natalie Pattison, click here.
To hear from BSc Children’s Nursing student, Lorraine Harrison, click here. 

Year of the Nurse and Midwife

As this year is the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, this year has been marked as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Although we will be celebrating the day of the Nurse on the 12 May, we will continue the celebrations of gratitude throughout the year to show the nursing and midwifery community how much we appreciate the work they do.

There will be lots of activities going on throughout the year to celebrate, so keep an eye out on the NHS website for more details to come! It’s a great opportunity for you to get involved and show our nurses and midwives how much they mean to us.

To find out more about our UH Midwives and how you can show your support during the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, click here.

Mental health nurses

We also want to show our appreciation to all mental health nurses, who have been committed to providing support to those struggling during this time. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen numbers of people with mental health issues increase and it is clear that isolation is having a huge psychological effect on many.

Mental health nurses are continuing to provide vital support to all those affected by Covid-19 and their contribution has been outstanding.

Get involved 

The Year of the Nurse and Midwife is a time for us to celebrate all of the work of the nursing and midwife communities across the world. Get involved, and show your gratitude!

There are lots of ways you can get involved in the International Nurses Day and the Year of the Nurse and Midwife:

1. Set up or take part in events
Why not plan a virtual event to celebrate! You could put on your own virtual coffee morning or afternoon tea. You could even throw a virtual birthday party for Florence Nightingale to celebrate the work of all our amazing nurses!
The Florence Nightingale museum are hosting some online events and exhibitions to celebrate! Get involved and share your activities on social media to drum up more support and get people celebrating! Don’t forget to #YearoftheNurseandMidwife!

2. Display posters or make your own
Decorations are a must for celebrating! Why not put up some posters or you can even create your own with a special thanks to a particular team or individual! Make sure you share your creations with us on social media! @uniofherts

3. Go all out with the decorations 
Why not go all out with the decorations and decorate the whole house or whole street! There will be a national light-up at sunset on 12 may so join us in lighting up the streets to celebrate Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday!

4. Send a card or e-card to nursing staff 
Use this opportunity to thank nursing staff or midwives who have impacted your life in a positive way. Send them a card to say thank you or even an e-card or message to say you are thinking of them!

5. Tell us your story or give thanks to a friend
Share your story or tell us about someone you know that works within the nursing or midwifery community, so we can celebrate all of your hard work. Contact internalcomms@herts.ac.uk and tell us your story!

6. Wear blue to say thank you!
Wear blue on 12 May and join us in saying thank you to all the nursing staff across the globe! You could even take a selfie and post it on social media!

7. Get active on social media!
Social media is a great way for us to show our support and gratitude to nurses all of the world and there are loads of ways you can get involved.
Create a customised Facebook frame to show your friends what the International Nurses Day means to you! You could even create one to celebrate the Year of the Nurse and Midwife!
Share how you are getting involved and see how others are celebrating by using the hashtag #YearoftheNurseandMidwife