Happy Year of the Nurse!

Happy New Year! As we ring in 2020, we kick off the decade with a year to celebrate you! The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO), designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. The celebration honors the 200^th birthday of Florence Nightingale, widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing.

The designation highlights WHO’s focus on the nursing profession’s role in strengthening universal health coverage. In 2020, the organization will release the first-ever State of the World’s Nursing report, recognizing the power of a profession that constitutes more than 50 percent of the health workforce in most countries – and will account for more than 50 percent of the shortage in the global health workforce in the next decade.

Aligning with WHO’s position, ANA Enterprise, the family of organizations comprised of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Nurses Foundation, will celebrate the Year of the Nurse by engaging with nurses, thought leaders and the general public to promote nursing excellence, leadership and innovation.

In a statement announcing the organization’s support of WHO’s initiative, ANA President Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN, said he looks forward to a year of opportunity to collaborate with other organizations to communicate an accurate view of the critical work nurses do.

“As the largest group of health care professionals in the U.S. and the most trusted profession, nurses are with patients 24/7 and from the beginning of life to the end. Nurses practice in all health care settings and are filling new roles to meet the ever-growing demand for health and health care services,” Grant said. “Despite the major role nurses play in health care delivery and community outreach, there are opportunities to increase understanding of the value of nursing in order to expand investment in education, practice and research, as well as increase the numbers of nurses who serve in leadership positions.”

As a demonstration of this commitment to elevate the nursing profession in 2020, ANA Enterprise will expand National Nurses Week, traditionally celebrated from May 6-12, to a full month-long celebration designed to expand opportunities to honor the nursing profession.

Aya Celebrates You – in 2020 and Always!

This year, as every year, Aya Healthcare celebrates our amazing team of travel nurses for going the extra mile in all you do.

“Nursing is an extraordinary profession, filled with caring, hardworking individuals who go above and beyond every day to provide exceptional patient care. For that, they deserve to be celebrated,” says April Hansen, RN, MSN, Aya’s executive vice president of workforce solutions and clinical services. “At Aya, we recognize the important work our nurses do to keep patients safe, healthy and cared for while they’re experiencing stressful situations like illnesses and injuries. That’s why we make sure we also go the extra mile to care for our nurses while they’re caring for others.”

Whether you’re a travel nurse, permanent nurse, allied healthcare professional or hold any other clinical position, we at Aya celebrate you for your valued role in patient care. Here’s to a happy, healthy 2020!

What are your travel nursing goals for 2020? We’d love to hear from you. Comment below to let us know how you’re going to celebrate.