Protecting, respecting, valuing nurses
Our nurses care for people. Our future is dependent on nurses knowing the interrelationship of environment to well-being and leading sustainable practices to protect our planet and therefore our health. This is both a global challenge, and closer to home, one which impacts the region of Hunter New England.
There is no better day to highlight this challenge than International Nurses Day, celebrated each year on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth,12 May.
Each year the International Council of Nurses determines a theme. For 2023, the theme is: A Voice to Lead: Our Nurses. Our Future. Flo was a leader and social reformer in her time. She is credited as the founder of modern nursing, making it a respectable profession. She demonstrated compassion for her patients; seeking news ways of caring for people that took account of the environmental impact on their diseases or injuries. It is these attributes which are still pivotal to nurses of today and the future.
As the largest health care workforce, both nationally and globally, it is timely to look at what investments are needed to sustain our nursing workforce now and into the future.
We must ensure nurses are protected, respected and valued. Without government investment in our nurses - and the wider community placing their trust in the profession - we risk losing the leadership and voice nurses provide in their diverse roles and the expertise they bring across a large range of settings.
Nurses leading initiatives to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all is what is needed if we as a society are to achieve better health. This is also required at the more local level within our region. Lessons were learnt from the pandemic, with many nurse-led initiatives showcasing innovative practices and contemporary policy to improve people’s care. Nurses with this visibility have the voice to lead policy, practice, research and education into the future. At no other time has the profession had such opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people now and into the future. The challenge now is for people to recognise the immense value nurses bring to the health of the community they serve, just as we did at the height of the pandemic.
At the University of Newcastle, the School of Nursing and Midwifery is committed to preparing graduates who are the future leaders of the nursing profession; innovative in their thinking and who adopt sustainable practices in the care they provide.
Educational investment is critical in developing our future nursing profession to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to lead policy, practice, research and provide education to the next generation of nurses.
Flo gave us leadership and was a voice for humanity and now it is up to the current and future generations of nurses to use the same attributes to protect our planet and our community’s health.
Professor Amanda Johnson, Head of School and Dean of Nursing and Midwifery
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Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.