News & Events
12 May 2020
When 2020 was declared by the World Health Organisation as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, no one could have imagined the global health crisis that was about to unfold. So, in the context of a global pandemic it’s fitting that, on 12 May, we commemorate 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern professional nursing. Florence Nightingale (centre), in 1886, was an advocate for improving public health. Nightingale was a social reformer, an innovator, a statistician, an educator and a tireless advocate for improving public health.
This year, the COVID-19 crisis reminds us of the importance of nurses in our communities and healthcare systems – there’s never been a better time to pay tribute to the contribution of nursing.
Nightingale returned from her service in the Crimean War in the mid 19th century armed with knowledge, experience and purpose.
This article was first published on Pursuit. Read the original article.
Source : Getty Images
Authors
Professor Marie Gerdtz, Head of Nursing in the Melbourne School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne and member of the MACH Education and Workforce Planing subcommittee.
