A day for nurses

Every year on May 12th, Japan joins the world in honoring the compassion, dedication and hard work of nurses. In Japan there are at least three different overlapping commemorations to nurses on May 12th. They are:

• Nursing Day 看護の日
• Nightingale Day ナイチンゲール・デー
• International Nurses Day 国際看護師の日

All three are on May 12th in commemoration and honor of Florence Nightingale, the pioneering British nurse whose work during the Crimean War transformed modern medical care and elevated nursing into a respected profession.

In Japan, Nursing Day was established in 1990 to help people better understand the heart of nursing, the spirit of caring, supporting and standing beside those in need. There is also a Nursing Week, from May 7th to 13th, that aims to make people more familiar with the everyday realities of nursing.

The photo in this post is of a 'nurse hat'. It is a vintage style you don't see very often anymore, but some of the nurses at the maternity hospital I gave birth in wore this old-style hat with pride. It is an honorable profession and I, for one, am very grateful for the work and compassion of nurses around the world.