The world is so arranged that some professions are dying out – they are replaced by computers or machines. However, there are those specialties that have always been and always will be. Of course, we are talking about nurses. Care for sick people is always needed, and no robot can cope with this task. These people undoubtedly deserve their own holiday. And International Nurse’s Day is celebrated every year 12 May.
history of the holiday
Researchers believe that the history of the holiday originated back in 1853 during the Crimean War. The Englishwoman Florence Nightingale organized the headquarters of the sisters of mercy, where everyone came: peasant women, aristocrats, nuns. Women looked after wounded soldiers and helped doctors in operations. However, none of them had a medical education. In those days, it was believed that all women by nature knew how to help those in need. And so a new profession was born.
In 1974, sisters of mercy from 141 countries of the world gathered for a council and established their professional holiday. The date of May 12 was not chosen by chance – this is the birthday of the very Englishwoman Nightingale, who created the world’s first group of nurses.
How the profession appeared in Our Country
In our country, the holiday has been celebrated since 1993. Since the Association of Nurses was created in Our Country, which supports and controls workers in this profession. However, Peter I founded the nursing profession. The Tsar signed a decree “On the appointment of nuns in hospitals,” after which women voluntarily joined the ranks of sisters of mercy.
However, Empress Catherine II canceled the decree, and only the doctor Mikhail Paltsev in 1860 asked the authorities to create a staff of nurses to help surgeons. A few years later, this profession appeared in every military hospital. And later – in all hospitals and clinics.
Traditions
Every year, on Nurse’s Day, round tables, meetings, master classes are held in all countries of the world. At events, issues related to this profession are discussed.
The heroes of the occasion are given sweets, flowers, expensive and exquisite alcoholic drinks. But the main award that every nurse aspires to is the Florence Nightingale Award. This is a medal depicting a woman with a lamp as a symbol of goodness, light, mercy and hope. On the reverse side there is an inscription: “For true mercy and care for people, causing admiration of all mankind.”
Nurses are also given cartoons, fruits, and souvenirs. And the administration, as a rule, awards cash bonuses to the best nursing staff.
Profession today
In order to work as a nurse, you must have a specialized secondary medical education – get a diploma from a medical college or school. Representatives of this profession cannot prescribe treatment on their own. They follow the instructions of doctors or paramedics.
Nurses have several profiles. The tallest is the head nurse. This person controls all the nurses in his department or clinic. There is also a ward nurse – responsible for patients in the hospital. The operating nurse prepares the instruments for the operation and assists the surgeon in everything. The district nurse is responsible for patients living in her area, the procedural nurse takes blood for analysis.
General duties of nurses: injections, droppers, vaccinations, temperature and pressure measurements, monitoring patients as prescribed by a doctor.