Featured image: Nurses in Victoria sharing a National Nurses Breakfast for International Nurses Day 2022. Source: Sharmalie Wijesinghe MACN
Every year on 12 May, the world comes together to celebrate the nursing profession on International Nurses Day. The nursing profession has had a long and tumultuous past few years and International Nurses Day is a time to reflect, rest, and connect with our colleagues and friends, and showcase the breadth of skill and contributions nurses make to their communities.
The 2023 theme for International Nurses Day is A Voice to Lead: Our Nurses. Our Future. Set by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the 2023 theme addresses the global health challenges exacerbated by a shortage of nurses. Nurses are crucial in all parts of health care, whether it be acute, preventative, primary or community care, and a refusal to address the ongoing worker shortage will leave all Australians worse off.
As the peak organisation representing nurses in Australia, the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) encourages all nurses to take International Nurses Day to support and reconnect with their colleagues and use their voice to lead the profession into the future.
Unsure where to begin? We have collated together a series of activities you can do to make your International Nurses Day the best it can be.
Celebrate nurses with a National Nurses Breakfast
We are so used to looking after consumers under our care, but we often forget to look after ourselves. Hosting an ACN National Nurses Breakfast event brings together your colleagues and friends from across the organisation to chat, share goodies and check in on each other.
Celebrate the achievements of the past year, try out a new recipe, and give yourself a chance to unwind. If you register for the event in advance, you can even receive digital props to enhance your event and spread the word to your friends online.
Remember, breakfast still counts even at 10pm if it is the first meal of the day!
Check in with your region
Connecting with your nursing friends and colleagues in your ACN Region can be a lifesaver when need local support outside of your workplace. When the shift is long, the requirements keep changing, and you are unsure what the next move will be, your ACN Region community has got your back.
Regions across the country will be meeting in person and online on International Nurses Day to check in and celebrate their achievements with each other. For nurses in and around Canberra that want to connect or learn more about the Regions and their teams, the ACT Region are meeting for a National Nurses Breakfast.
Unsure of your Region? Find yours today
Play Blue Bingo with your friends in Tasmania
Thanks to the fantastic work of the ACN Tasmania Region, the towns of Hobart, Launceston and Burnie will be lit in blue on International Nurses Day to recognise the irreplaceable roles of nurses and midwives.
Grab your friends and do a tour of blue for nurses! Whether it be by foot, bike, car or public transport, there are many ways to capture the sights of Tasmania this International Nurses Day 2023.
Learn more about nursing history
The best way to ensure we do not make the same mistakes of the past is to ensure our history and lessons are remembered. In the lead up to International Nurses Day, join ACN’s History Faculty to learn more about the bombing and sinking of the AHS Centaur in 1943.
On the quiet night of 14 May 1943 in the height of World War II, the hospital ship Centaur was carrying Australian Army Hospital personnel when it was bombed off the coast of Brisbane. 286 lives were lost in the sinking, including 12 nurses. Only one nurse survived
The History Faculty is commemorating the event on the 80th anniversary of the bombing, remembering the lives of the nurses killed, and how the event shaped the nursing profession in Australia.
Help develop nursing careers in digital health
As the world develops and new technologies are created, nurses continue to evolve to ensure consumer safety and best practice care. One area we are seeing continual development is in the digital space, where computers, internet technology and intelligence are influencing how we nurse.
The ACN Nurse Informatics & Digital Health Faculty is mapping the current career paths for digital health and informatics nurses and the roles, barriers and enablers to nurses and midwives working in the specialty.
Take the chance today to share your thoughts on and experiences in the specialty and contribute to the nursing future.
The Australian College of Nursing is committed to ensuring that all nurses are connected, secure, safe and educated in the latest best practices to advance the profession. Follow our social media for the latest updates and share your thoughts this International Nurses Day using the hashtags #ACNBreakfast and #IND2023.
