“An extraordinary opportunity to witness history being made.”
“A powerful call to arms.”
“The energy and excitement in the atmosphere was absolutely phenomenal”.
These were just some of the words used by three of the Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) Emerging Nurse Leaders (ENL) to describe the Nursing Now Australia Launch and Trailblazer Awards in Sydney on April 9. Kazuma, Prachi and Nick — three young leaders who represent the future of the nursing profession in Australia — felt privileged to attend the historic night as part of ACN’s ENL program. Each has written a short piece about their experiences of the event.
Kazuma Honda MACN
“For me one of the key highlights of the night was listening to Lord Crisp, the Co-Chair of Nursing Now, address the audience. His passion for nursing, health creation and global health partnerships was truly evident in his speech. He described how his publication on the Triple Impact of Nursing (2016) revealed how a greater focus on nursing care can have a positive impact on people’s health, improve gender equality as well as strengthen economies and this led him to be part of the creation of Nursing Now. He stated that nurses are the key and therefore to be respected as true professionals who bring both holistic and biopsychosocial views to the care of people. For me listening to such amazing points was very motivating and I felt privileged to be part of this momentous evening.”
Nursing Now is a global campaign dedicated to bringing the amazing work nurses do each day into the broader public spotlight. The patron of the campaign is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge and launches have taken place in over eighty countries all across the world.
Prachi Javalekar MACN
“The event offered extensive networking opportunities with senior nursing leaders as well as four outstanding nurses who were nominated for the inaugural Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers for their contribution towards superior outcomes through research, evidence based practice and innovative models of care. Their achievements, passion and aspirations are testimony to what nurses can deliver. Nikki Johnston MACN, the winner of the Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers, shared her passion for improving end of life care for all in a health care system that is predominantly focused on a cure-based medical model.”
The Health Minister’s Award for Nursing Trailblazers recognised the extraordinary efforts of the current leaders of the nursing profession in Australia. Check out the incredible stories of Linda Campbell MACN, Professor Sandy Middleton FACN, Professor Jeanine Young FACN and winner Nikki Johnston OAM MACN in our other NurseClick articles.
Nick Hayward MACN
“Nursing Now’s goal is to improve global health equity by strengthening nurses and raising the profile of our profession, and it was inspiring to hear from Lord Nigel Crisp how rapidly and forcefully nurses around the world have joined that chorus. We all know how effective nurses are at improving public health outcomes, allocating health resources efficiently, and caring holistically for people in our communities – the challenge put to the room by Lord Crisp was to bring that message to the purse-string holders as a united front.”
To help achieve this goal of raising the global profile of nurses, ACN and the other major nursing organisations in Australia, have created the Nursing Now Australia Challenge Calendar. Each month has a different challenge to help those around us realise the outstanding level of health care nurses provide each day. Download the calendar and start the challenge today!
The experiences of Kazuma, Prachi and Nick highlight the profound influence the night’s proceedings had on the next generation of nursing leaders. The event has inspired passion and emotion in those responsible for ensuring the profile of nursing continues to be raised in the future.
Do you have what it takes to be an ENL?
The opportunity to attend the night is one of the many benefits of the ENL program which empowers early career nurses to achieve their personal and professional career goals.
If you would like to be an ENL, registrations for our next intake are now open! Visit acn.edu.au/enl for more information.
