The annual observance of International Nurses Day is held on May 12.
This date commemorates the birth in 1820 of Florence Nightingale, the foundational philosopher of modern nursing.
International Nurses Day has been celebrated on this day since 1965.
In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare proposed that President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaim a ‘Nurses Day’; but he did not approve it.
The Mehi Cluster of Hunter New England Health service decided this year they would celebrate the day by dressing in uniforms from the past, current and future.
Emma West presented for day shift in a Nun’s uniform, before changing into her version of the future uniform a very bright hot pink and orange scrub.
Donna Boyer wore an old-style floor length Red Cross uniform, saying: “I was wondering yesterday how I was going to do showers in this long skirt.”
Boggabri Health Service manager Amanda Boxsell, told The Courier that while they could look back on the past and current uniforms it was difficult to forecast what the future would look like given the modern technology and a general decline in people taking up nursing as a career.
Nurses are crucial in all parts of health care, whether it be acute, preventive, primary or secondary care.
Each year the International Council of Nurses announces the theme for International Nurses Day and for 2023 it is ‘Our Nurses, Our Future’.
Boggabri Hospital Auxiliary presented a small gift to the amazing nursing staff at the Boggabri Multi-Purpose-Service in recognition of the compassion, optimism, kindness and sacrifices they make to keep our community healthy.
The gift consisted of a cotton face/spa or dishwasher, cake of soap, large block of chocolate and a thank you card in a decorated box.
The males had the choice of a handkerchief instead of sweet-smelling soap.
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