International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.
Nurses are the largest group of health professionals and it is estimated that there are more than 13 million nurses worldwide.
Western Australia alone has about 37,000 nurses and midwives. Every day, our nurses are committed to providing patient-centered and culturally competent care of the highest quality using evidence-based practices.
This year’s theme is: Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving health systems’ resilience.
International Council of Nurse’s paper highlights how nurses make a significant contribution to developing and maintaining resilience in health systems.
Nurses contribute to:
- service development
- supervision and development of other members of the team
- working with and advocating for patients
- their carers and communities and in the collection of data and informing the development of evidence.
Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Karen Bradley acknowledges and thanks her nursing colleagues for the incredible contribution they make to health care in Western Australia.
Watch a message from Karen on International Nurses Day below.
For more information about the day, visit the International Council of Nurses website (external site).