Dear nurses and midwives across the globe,
I salute you and applaud you during this special month in which you, we, are acknowledged and celebrated.
To continue to move forward and upward we must pause to acknowledge our history and the leaders who carried us on their shoulders. Among them are Rufaida Al Islamiyah, Florence Nightingale, as well as the more contemporary ones around the world who amplified our discipline’s mission and brought us to this point where the whole world is thinking and celebrating nurses. They knew exactly what our mission was: alleviating suffering of patients and their families, uncovering illness experiences, caring, comforting and facilitating transitions, promoting self-care, enhancing wellness, managing and coordinating care, as well as empowering themselves (and us) to function up to their, and our, fullest capacities.
But it took years and perhaps decades for our healthcare colleagues, for organizations and for populations to recognize and acknowledge our centrality in healthcare teams and systems, and to value our roles in quality care, and to position and compensate us appropriately and equally.
As we look forward, we must continue to have a strong collective voice, to advance nursing knowledge through careful research and theory building and to develop the most effective models of care that ensure the quality care that we, as professionals, strive for. We must also continue to insist on providing the highest levels of education that prepares graduates who are innovative, collaborative leaders and policy makers.
Sixty years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life, to become a nurse. Every year since has added to my pride and passion for nursing and midwifery. Over the years I traveled to different parts of the world and I met and saw nurses in action, which added to my extreme pride for our discipline and how it impacts populations’ health globally.
Happy Nurses and Midwives Day, every day of the year!
Afaf Ibrahim Meleis, PhD, FAAN, LL
Professor of Nursing and Sociology
Dean Emerita, School of Nursing,
University of Pennsylvania
