In the Year of the Nurse, where do we shine the light?

The international 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife is a rare opportunity for a sustained conversation about the invaluable role our professions play in health and health care. Let’s give them something to talk about.

Seriously, wherever we are in this world, nurses should take advantage of a moment when our profession will enjoy global priority status. Year of the Nurse is a rare platform for authentic, constructive discussions about who nurses are and what we do.

Why 2020

The World Health Organization in partnership with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), International Council of Nurses (ICN), Nursing Now and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) timed the Year of the Nurse to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820). The campaign will shine a light on nursing conditions and push for increased investment in boosting the nursing and midwife workforce.

Those are universal goals with unique local looks, which is why nurses throughout the health care system should take their place on the Year of the Nurse platform and speak to the needs and challenges where they practice. What’s the point of talking this year and beyond without specific actions that elevate the profession wherever it serves patients and their families?
I’m interested in your thoughts:

• How can we leverage all of the amazing work that will be done in 2020 to showcase the nursing profession?
• What features unique to nursing should we highlight during the Year of the Nurse and beyond?
• What policies and practices should the year motivate us to explore and implement?

In the spirit of Florence Nightingale, where do we shine the light?

Contact me to share your ideas and let’s start a dialogue.