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International Nurses Day 2022: Guardian Angels of Patients

International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on May 12. It is actually the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who is regarded as the founder of modern nursing.

Updated on: 11 May, 2022 2:27 PM IST By: Shipra Singh
Nurses arranging their nurse kits

Who is the most important in the healthcare system? You would immediately answer doctors. But what about nurses? They are the ones who constantly take care of patients. With the Covid-19 pandemic threatening the world, doctors and nurses are working overtime and even going the extra mile to save lives and take care of patients by risking their lives.

That’s why we have a day dedicated exclusively to them. International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on May 12. It is actually the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who is regarded as the founder of modern nursing. 

International Nurses Day 2022 Theme

Nurses: A Voice to Lead - Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health". And as part of the theme, several activities that include yoga sessions and seminars.

About nurses

Nurses are brimming with knowledge and diverse skills related to medical care. They undergo rigorous training and education in this field. Besides, they are filled with compassion. A doctor will diagnose your condition and prescribe treatment, but a nurse will actually understand what you are going through.

Nurses care dedicatedly and tirelessly for the sick and the injured. They are the ones who usually watch a patient suffer and even pass away. The doctor is called thereafter. Imagine what they go through every day!

We must acknowledge the hard work, the tireless service, and the long hours that nurses put in to take care of patients and to ensure they are comfortable and suffer less. We must also not forget the sheer emotional pressure that nurses go through daily.

They deserve to have a day dedicated to them, especially at a time when doctors and nurses have become “warriors” risking their lives to save lives.

How International Nurses Day started

In 1953, Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, proposed to the President Dwight D. Eisenhower to announce a “Nurses Day.” The president did not approve her proposal.

In January 1974, the day was announced officially as International Nurses Day. Since then, every year, the International Council of Nurses prepares and distributes International Nurses Day Kit. It contains public and educational information materials for nurses.

Conclusion

With the Coronavirus pandemic, the role of nurses has become all the more important. And people have started respecting doctors and nurses more. Earlier, many of us used to take health care, people, for granted. Not anymore.

They are warriors in white coats.

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