The Department of Health has today confirmed it's support for 2020: Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
The World Health Assembly has designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and the Department of Health, led by the Chief Nursing Officer, will hold a series of events throughout the year to mark the occasion.
Minister for Health Simon Harris said:
Nurses and midwives play a vital role in providing health services.
These are the people who devote their lives to caring for mothers and children; giving lifesaving immunisations and health advice; looking after older people and generally meeting everyday essential health needs.
Today, the Department begins a year-long celebration for our nurses and midwives and I am so delighted it is being led by the Chief Nursing Officer.
The Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health is working with the HSE, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and staff organisations to mark the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
Speaking at the official launch, Siobhan O’Halloran, Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health, acknowledged the vital role that nurses and midwives play in providing health services today:
Nurses and midwives work at all levels of health systems and across diverse settings delivering quality care, leading teams, conducting research, influencing and implementing policy, and educating the next generation of nurses and midwives.
She noted the role of technology and innovation in the assistance and delivery of healthcare:
These developments will complement nurses and midwives. We will continue to rely nurses to be present, to be experts and to deliver and co-ordinate care – a kind voice or hand will always out-do the latest app!
In April the WHO will publish the first ever State of World Nursing report providing a technical description of the nursing workforce in Member States and describing how the nursing workforce can help deliver Universal Health Coverage and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
Things you didn’t know about nursing in Ireland in 2020
Ireland has a nurse’s voice at the heart of policy development
Ireland’s Chief Nursing Officer in Department of Health plays a key role in developing health policy and ensuring a nursing and midwifery perspective is represented at a senior level in the Department of Health, to ensure nursing is developed not only as a dynamic career path but also to ensure positive health outcomes for patients and healthcare staff in the Irish system alike.
Further information here
90% of those studying nursing in Ireland are female
About 1,800 students begin to study nursing at undergrad or post-grad level every September. 90% of them are female, and 4% of new entrants are non-Irish.
Source: HEA Nursing Fact Sheet
In 2016, The largest occupation with a qualification in the area of health and welfare was nursing and midwives (accounting for 27.6% of workers).
Source: CSO
As of December 2019 less than 9.3% of the total nursing population is male
Source: HSE health-service-employment-report-dec-2019.pdf)
Irish nurses took part in the Easter Rising as part of the Citizen Army
During the Rising women were involved in the most dangerous areas, - carrying explosives, dispatches and ammunition. Some worked as nurses and cooks, although members of the Citizen Army were armed and a number of them took part in the fighting.
Elizabeth O'Farrell, an Irish nurse, is best known for delivering the surrender in the Easter Rising of 1916.
Nurses marry farmers
According to the CSO, Female Nurses commonly marry Farmers (11%), followed by other Nurses (4%) and then Gardaí (3%)
Male Nurses and Doctors were also very likely to be married to female Nurses and Doctors.
Nurses and midwives were the largest single female occupation in Ireland (38,518)
Source: CSO who marries who-an occupational hazard
Nurses and Midwives account for nearly 50% of the global health workforce
Investing in nurses and midwives is good value for money. The report of the UN High Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth concluded that investments in education and job creation in the health and social sectors result in a triple return of improved health outcomes, global health security, and inclusive economic growth.
Source: WHO FactSheet
Nurses walk around 4/5 miles per 12 hour shift. For comparison, most people walk just 2/3 miles per 18 hour day
Source: University of Colorado, 2006 How_far_do_nurses_walk
Ireland has 535 Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs)
Advanced Nurse Practitioners are educated to a Masters level and operate at the top of their licence, becoming senior decision makers in diagnosis and delivering care plans to patients. ANPs provide the skills and competencies required to treat patients from end to end, from prescribing to discharging.
Source: Dept of Health
And on the international stage...
Irish woman Annette Kennedy is President of the global nursing federation ICN, who advocated for the WHO to appoint a Chief Nursing Officer and represents the interests of nurses worldwide
Source: https://www.icn.ch/who-we-are/board-directors