Honouring nurses’ expertise, dedication, caring

As the global COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, nurses have demonstrated steadfast leadership in various capacities while working tirelessly and collaboratively with all fellow health-care professionals.

Nurses across Nova Scotia are no exception and their demonstration of unwavering leadership and committed caring has been instrumental in our province's first line of defence against COVID-19.

National Nursing Week 2020 is May 11-17 and the timing of this year's celebration is especially poignant because it marks the 200th anniversary of Florence

Nightingale's birth. The contributions of this iconic figure laid the foundation for professional nursing worldwide through education and the development of critical nursing roles in a wide range of health-care arenas.

This year also stands apart because it marks the release of the first State of the World's Nursing Report by the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Nursing Now. It presents a compelling case for considerable — yet feasible — investment in nursing education, jobs and leadership to improve health for all.

Leadership has always been a cornerstone of the nursing profession and this year's National Nursing Week theme, as selected by the ICN, is Nurses: A Voice to Lead — Nursing the World to Health. The choice was intended to focus attention and showcase the myriad of important roles that nurses play in addressing a wide range of global health challenges.

In my role as vice president of research, innovation & discovery and chief nurse executive for the Nova Scotia Health Authority, I would like to invite all Nova Scotians to join me in honouring, recognizing and thanking our entire nursing family during National Nursing Week. My education as a nurse is a great source of personal pride and I feel privileged to be a part of such a strong, capable and caring profession.

We have so many reasons to be grateful and proud of our nursing professionals, and it is especially so during these challenging times as they work shoulder-to-shoulder alongside fellow health-care team members to tackle this deadly virus head on. Their dedication and expert care are always counted on by their interprofessional health-care partners, and by all of us as members of the community who trust and rely on them to safeguard our health and wellbeing.

In the spirit of Florence Nightingale, nurses fearlessly and faithfully hold a lamp high to guide those they care for toward continued good health, and in those times when they are tired, sick, and anxious or scared.

National Nursing Week is but one small way for all of us to come together in a time of reflection to honour, celebrate and thank each and every one of them.