A year later: Life after the Year of the Nurse

The year 2020 should have been a year celebrating the
remarkable contributions of nursing as a profession on
society. The “International Year of the Nurse and the
Midwife”, was so designated by the World Health Organization to honor the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth and highlight the important role of nurses in addressing healthcare needs globally. In light of the events of 202 and the global pandemic, the World Health Organization extended the International Year of the
Nurse and the Midwife through their “Year of Health and
Care Workers” campaign while global partners have extended the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020/2021 through different campaigns. What started as a year to celebrate the work of nurses in advancing and promoting health globally transformed into a dramatic showcase of the extremely hard work of nurses in fighting COVID-19. The recognition and spotlight on nurses shifted from focusing on a thriving profession advancing health to a strong profession poised to be at the bedside responding to a global threat.