Tomorrow is international nurses day and the exploits of nurses save lives every day
Royal College of Nurses (RCN) President, Andrea Spyropoulos, shares her thoughts on why celebrating Nurses’ Day is so important. RCN member Phil Cooper is walking from Lands End to John O Groats for the rest of this week and is an example of a nurse who is literally going the extra mile to promote State of Mind a sporting based Mental Fitness campaign across the country and specifically in rugby league. Andrea goes on to say that:
“I’ve been working in nursing for almost 40 years. During which I’ve seen times get tougher and tougher for everyone working in a nursing role.
“Nurses’ Day gives us a fantastic opportunity to stand up and shout about what nursing means to us; why we joined the profession, and why we continue to work tirelessly for our patients regardless of the additional pressures put on us.
“It gives patients a chance to publically say thank you, and for nursing staff to have a platform to be proud about their work.
“While we know this should be the case every day, having 12 May as a designated celebration means that all of us are joining together, collectively sharing a special day to really showcase what’s great about our profession.
“My vision is that Nurses’ Day becomes so embedded in the public’s conscience that it becomes an annual celebration as big as Valentine’s Day.
“Keep the faith; nursing has always been a noble profession and it will continue to thrive despite the tough times we are currently facing
“I hope as many of you as possible will be able to get involved in supporting Nurses’ Day.