International Nurses Day in the year of the nurse and midwife

(this day because it’s 200 years since birthday of Florence Nightingale)

Hello mental health nursing colleagues,

Well who thought we’d be remembering the anniversary of Nightingale and celebrating nursing like this in 2020??

It is a testament to the resilience of nurses that there is so much creative, supportive and therapeutic work being done, in our less than ideal or even adverse healthcare situations.

I am proud to be a nurse and to join with all the nurses who ‘show up’ with the aim of being with and assisting people in distress. We do this work (whether face to face in hospitals, in clinics and offices or online from home) alongside our colleagues: clinicians, clinical supervisors, peer workers and a wealth of others with lived expertise, as well as caterers, cleaners, administrators, educators, …

After the frantic early weeks of community lockdown and healthcare surge planning, I’ve heard nurses call this phase ‘almost back to normal’ and ‘new normal’. Also that things are busier again in our work settings, after an initial lull when many people were staying away. So we nurses are one big group who are at least as active as before, in this time of COVID19 pandemic. Even so, we encourage each of you to keep some time and some energy to care for yourself.

We are learning so much in 2020, including new ways to look after ourselves. At the CPN we have loved learning from people with deep experience of surviving fear, worry and isolation. Check out tinyurl.com/storiesfromustoyou and also our webpage for many other self-nurturing resources. And I’m sure you will generously share what works for you – because that is how nurses roll, a discipline of consummate team players.

We send our warmest thanks and encouragement to you,

Bridget Hamilton and the CPN team