UCOL recognises International Nurses Day

Media Release

Friday, 9 May 2014

UCOL recognises International Nurses Day

UCOL will recognise International Nurses Day on Monday (May 12), celebrating the vital resource that is the nursing workforce in the region, the country and all over the world.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. The International Council of Nurses commemorates this day each year, and the theme for 2014 is Nurses: A Force for Change – A vital resource for health.

Academic Leader for the UCOL Nurse Education Team, Carol Stewart, says International Nurses Day highlights the role of the Nurse globally, and UCOL is focused on preparing students for both a national and a global market.

“The question is how to best prepare those new to the profession of nursing to be that force for change and become a vital resource. At UCOL we recognise the complexities that exist for Nurses in today’s health environment and the focus is always on how we prepare the next generation of Nurses for those challenges that exist and those that are yet to be realised.

“We know that within New Zealand and globally we are facing factors such as an ageing population and increased life expectancy, and an increase in demand on health services comes with those factors. Coupled with that is the predicted nursing shortage due to the large numbers of the baby-boomer generation exiting the workforce in the next decade.

“Our students need to be critical thinkers and be able to use clinical reasoning to assess the needs of the health consumer and utilise current research evidence to support the best outcome for patients. In order to become a vital resource for health our students are provided with up to date information, the use of simulation utilising real life scenarios, and exposure to research based evidence.”

UCOL’s Nurse Education team will celebrate International Nurses Day on Monday by committing to a focused, professional relationship with students, preparing them to be the force for change and a vital resource for health wherever they practice in the future.

Members of the team will also attend a Whanganui District Health Board Quiz night event on Thursday next week associated with International Nurses Day.

ENDS

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