May 12 is International Nurses Day – but what exactly are we celebrating? Here’s everything you need to know
- Nurses are being celebrated on May 12 for International Nurses Day
- It marks a day to thank healthcare employees for their hard work
They have been dubbed ‘the most under-appreciated’ workforce in the world, working long hours and hard shifts to look after everyone from the sick to the elderly and mentally unwell.
But today, May 12, is International Nurses Day, a day where people pause to recognise their efforts.
International Nurses Day is held on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, in recognition to her lasting impact on the profession.
Each year has a different theme, this year the event is officially focused around the nurses of the future.
Nurses and their loved ones are leading the way with tributes on social media this year, thanking their family members and co-workers for their service.
Nicole, from San Francisco, reflected on her time being a nurse by posting a now-viral video on TikTok, saying while the job is tough she wouldn’t want to do anything other.
On Friday May 12, thousands around the world celebrate healthcare workers on International Nurses Day
‘Being a nurse is so incredibly difficult physically and emotionally, it is all consuming. It is complex in ways that I’ll never be able to describe and you’ll never understand unless you are a nurse,’ she said.
‘From my earliest memory, I never wanted to be anything but a nurse.
‘Nursing has taken from me in ways that I will never get back. And some days are so exhausting that I question why I became a nurse at all.
‘It’s on those days that I remind myself of how bad I used to want to stand in the confident, capable nursing shoes that I get to stand in today.
‘I would be so proud of how fiercely I care for my patients and I have far surpassed many expectations that I’ve ever set for myself as a nurse – and for that I am so grateful.’
The date was also selected as it’s on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who was born in 1820.
‘I would be so proud of how fiercely I care for my patients and I have far surpassed many expectations that I’ve ever set for myself as a nurse – and for that I am so grateful.’
The date was also selected as it’s on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who was born in 1820.
Actress Emilia Clarke famously paid a heartfelt tribute to nurses around the world in 2021.
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