12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, is International Nurses Day. The theme this year, as chosen by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), is ‘Nurses: A Voice to Lead’. The focus is on the need to protect, support and invest in the nursing profession to strengthen health systems around the world.
The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in global healthcare systems that have resulted from sustained underinvestment over many years. As such, this year’s theme aims to raise awareness of the need to invest in nursing and to build a resilient, highly qualified nursing workforce, and to protect nurses’ rights. The aim is to transform health systems to meet the needs of individuals and communities both now and into the future.
As a team led by former nurses ourselves, at Seacole Health we know more than most the toll that the pandemic has taken on healthcare professionals. In a previous blog post, we considered that in a recent survey, 93% of healthcare professionals experienced stress, and 76% experienced burnout. Nurses have undoubtedly been under extreme pressure – with increased workloads, juggling family commitments and running the daily risk of contracting the virus themselves. These are testing times.
But beyond campaigning for change on International Nurses Day, we also need to empower nurses, and other healthcare professionals, to rip up the script. That’s why at Seacole Health we offer nurses the opportunity to decide when and where they want to work, on their own terms.
We are passionate about investing in the needs of our nurses, and this International Nurses Day we are very proud to support them with our new approach to healthcare employment that supports flexible working and values mental wellbeing as highly as individual contribution.
You can read more about a day in the life of one of our Seacole nurses here.
Find out more about the ICN’s work around International Nurses Day and how you can show your support here
Interested in an alternative career in healthcare? Find out more
