International Nurses Day

by Shane Foster

This Friday the 12th of May is International Nurses Day, when people all over the world celebrate the invaluable work that our fabulous nurses achieve, while helping their patients.

Wherever they are and whatever they are doing, whoever the patient is and whatever their needs are, there is one thing that all nurses have in common - their utmost commitment to their work and to making a difference to people's lives. And this doesn’t just mean the patients they treat, but also their families and loved ones too.

During the Covid pandemic nurses continued to work tirelessly, despite being under enormous pressure, and now 3 years on from the start of the pandemic they continue to work in extremely challenging circumstances. However, despite everything they face in their daily working lives, they still keep the needs and welfare of their patients as their number 1 priority - and for this we owe them our sincere gratitude.

International Nurses Day is not a new celebration, in fact it has been celebrated annually since 1965. In 1974 the date of 12th May was chosen to mark the day since it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale - the founder of modern nursing.

Florence Nightingale was a social reformer and pioneered nursing following her experiences managing and training nurses during the Crimean War where she was at the forefront of care provision for wounded soldiers.

Her selfless contributions to nursing reform during the Victorian era earned her several awards, including the Royal Red Cross, the Order of St. John and the Order of Merit, but of course she will always be remembered as the ‘The Lady of the Lamp’. 

The celebration of Nurses Day is led by the International Council of Nurses, who decide on themes each year, and most countries also decide on local events to coincide with the annual celebrations.

In the UK there is a service held each year in Westminster Abbey in London. During the service a symbolic lamp is taken from the Nurses Chapel in the abbey and handed from one nurse to another before being placed on the Altar.

Crossdressing Closet extends our thanks to the great achievements of our nurses, and whatever your plans are for 12th of May, please spare a thought for their selfless work.

Enjoy the rest of your week.