NMBA gives thanks to nurses on International Nurses Day

12 May 2016

Today, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) celebrates International Nurses Day.

Each year on the 12 May the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) celebrate the many achievements of 336,606 enrolled nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners, in providing care to the public in hospitals and in the local communities around Australia.

This year’s theme for International Nurse’s Day is Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving health systems' resilience.

Speaking about the special day, NMBA Chair Lynette Cusack RN said it is important to recognise and reflect on the role nurses play in supporting the health system, which is always going to be a shifting environment, where nurses constantly have to influence and adapt to change.

‘The theme of this year’s International Nurses Day message for nurses is to be ‘a force for change’ to help improve the resilience of the health systems.

‘Nursing has always been and remains a very important profession when it comes to improving health systems. Nurses are in a very privileged position, being present at key milestones of people’s lives. This has meant that during periods of change we are trusted by the public to continue to provide them with high quality and safe care.’

The NMBA is leading the way when it comes to regulatory change that works for enrolled nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners. We set the registration standards and professional codes, standards and guidelines that establish the requirements for nurses to practise competently and safely in Australia.

This year the Board has a number of projects underway to support innovation and best practice in nursing regulation, including:

• Internationally qualified nurses and midwives (IQNMs). The NMBA has work underway to develop an outcomes-based model for the assessment of IQNMs, and orientation program to the Australian health context for IQNMs.
• National health support service for nurses and midwives. The establishment of the national health support service for nurses and midwives follows the project the NMBA completed on health impairment: referral, treatment and rehabilitation for health professionals in 2014/15.
• Review of the code of conduct for nurses and the code of conduct for midwives. The review of the code of conduct for nurses and the code of conduct for midwives continues to be progressed. This work includes a review of the professional boundaries guides for nurses and midwives.

‘As nurses we have all been a force for change through challenging times while continuing to meet the needs of our patients. Through innovation nurses have changed the way in which patient care is delivered, and they have changed it for the better. This is also the case for nursing regulation, and we will continue to consult and seek your feedback on the work we take forward this year.’ Dr Cusack said.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.

Dr Lynette Cusack, RN
Chair
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia

For more information

• Media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200
• Visit the NMBA website.
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