Sunday 12 May is International Nursing Day, with this year’s theme focusing on the benefits that investment in nursing can bring to both the economy and wider society. While International Nursing Day provides us with an annual focal point to celebrate the role and value of this vital profession, a new report calls on nurses and midwives to use their voices and influence every day to drive positive change in helping to shape the future of health and care.
The report “WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? Empowering nurses and midwives to influence the future of health and care” discusses the role and influence that nurses and midwives have, both in the UK and across the globe.
Across the world, nurses and midwives are at the forefront of health and care delivery, serving as care providers, advocates, educators, and leaders within their communities. As the demand for health and care services continues to rise and as systems grapple with increasing complexity and ongoing and new challenges, the need for nurses and midwives to have a voice and to influence decision making processes has never been more crucial.
This new report captures the insights from nurse and midwifery leaders who FNF convened in March to attend the flagship WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? Summit, sponsored by Elsevier Health.
Recognising the pivotal role of nurses and midwives in healthcare delivery, the event aimed to empower nurses and midwives to drive positive change and innovation within their respective fields.
To address the most pressing challenges in health and care, nurses and midwives will have to develop the skills to influence around key areas. These areas include: leadership development, professional voice, political acumen, and digital understanding and skills, with a focus on the role of AI tools in supporting day-to-day roles and education,
“We don’t have any examples of AI-based predictive modelling in nursing, midwifery, or AHP practice because we don’t collect data accurately, reliably, or in the same way across organisations. So, when we hear people talking about AI in midwifery and nursing, we’ve got to get the basics right.” Dawn Dowding, RN, PhD, Professor in Clinical Decision Making in the School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester
On this International Nurses Day – and beyond – it’s vital that nurses are invested in and supported to lead. By empowering nursing and midwifery professionals to elevate their voices and sharpen their skillset, nurses and midwives are poised to lead the way towards a brighter future in healthcare.
Download and read the document here
