The event was attended by retired nurses from communities in and around Pretoria.

International Nurses Day is an annual event and is celebrated globally on 12 May, the birthday of the pioneer of the nursing profession, Florence Nightingale. The celebrations usually focus on the vital role that nurses play in different healthcare settings.

On the day of celebration, attention is drawn to the various nursing activities and the interventions undertaken in challenging circumstances to ensure the provision of quality care to the sick.

The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria, Prof Eric Buch, said that his Faculty is committed not only to producing graduates with the required skills, but also graduates who will uphold the right values and show concern for humanity. He further stated that the celebration of International Nurses Day brings dignity to the profession and recognises the core values associated with the health professions.

“This is a real moment of upholding a pledge in the wider context of a global day that recognises nursing and what it offers to humanity,” said Prof Buch.

During the celebration, the nurses’ lamp was lit and professional elders and students holding lighted candles recited the nurses’ pledge. This ritual is of significance to the nursing profession as it reminds the nurses of the pledge they made when they joined the profession.

Nurses with occupational experience were inaugurated into the Honor Society for Nurses. The aim of the Honor Society is to provide leadership and scholarship in practice, education and research, which will enhance the health of all the people in South Africa. Membership of the Honor Society for Nurses is internationally recognised as a mark of excellence in nursing. Graduates are invited to become members based on academic or leadership merit.
 

Retired veterans in the nursing profession also attended the event. Here you see (from left to right) Ms Refiloe Maredi, Ms Stella Sebati, Ms Hilda More and Ms Magdeline Mangwane

A Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing Science, Mrs Anchen du Randt, lights a nurses' lamp.