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International Nurses Day: Celebrating the unsung heroes of healthcare

10 May 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo International Council of Nurses

Our Nurses Our Future - International Council of Nurses — International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on May 12, the anniversary of the birthday of Florence Nightingale. The theme for the 2023 celebration is: Our Nurses. Our Future.

The School of Nursing at the University of the Free State (UFS) will be celebrating International Nurses Day on 12 May 2023, commemorating the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern-day nursing. The theme for this year’s celebration day is: “Our Nurses. Our Future” as announced by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The theme of the international global campaign focuses on nursing in the future in order to address global health challenges and improve global health for all.

Nurses are on the frontline, and are pillars of health care systems, spending 24 hours with patients. The future of the nursing profession is mainly dependent on the quality of education offered by nursing education institutions. The School of Nursing trains nurses as clinical specialists and researchers to improve quality patient care.

“The sacrifices and selfless work done by the nurses during the pandemic displays the values of their contribution towards the health of the society. Thus, protection, support and respect for nurses should be promoted to retain and invest in them. The school believes it is not too late for the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic to be translated into actions for the future, which is the core message of the theme by ICN for 2023,” says Dr Jeanette Sebaeng, Head of the School of Nursing.

Day of activities

In joining the world to celebrate Nurses Day, the school has invited stakeholders and partners in health from both the public and private sectors. The audience will be addressed by among others Prof Mokgadi Matlakala, the Academic Chairperson of the Department of Health Studies at UNISA and the Deputy Chairperson of the Forum for University Deans in South Africa (FUNDISA). There will be several activities taking place during the day that include the Amazing Race, outdoor events, and a tree-planting to commemorate those nurses who lost their lives during the pandemic. It also aims to envision the future of nursing.

The outdoor activities will be held concurrently with the main event from 9:00 to 13:00, with stalls portraying nursing services in various contexts, for example, at private hospitals, Kovsies and in the community. Those who wish to donate blood can visit the South African National Blood Services stall. Basic screening tests such as blood pressure and blood glucose checks will be provided for free to the university community.

The Amazing Race will be held at 10:00, starting at the Amphitheatre above the Equitas parking area, where teams of four stand a chance to win prizes. All students on campus may take part in the competition. The link below can be used by teams who want enter:

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Postgraduate School and Faculty of Law receive Rector during discussion with emerging researchers

2012-09-11

A session of the special programme for upcoming researchers was attended by, from the left: Denine Smit, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Prof. Voet du Plessis of the Department of Mercantile Law and Marda Horn; back: Glancina Mokone, Albert Nell, Pieter Brits, Prof. Neil Roos, Director of the UFS’s Postgraduate School and Jamie Faber.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
11 September 2012

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the university, recently addressed six Ph.D. students and their supervisors in the Faculty of Law as part of a special programme of the Postgraduate School for emerging researchers. Prof. Jansen contextualised his lecture on the impact and significance of research, “How do you determine that the important and bigger questions in your research are addressed to ensure the impact thereof?” in his discussion with the researchers. Based on the model of international postgraduate seminars, the researchers set out their field of study to Prof. Jansen and the audience. Suggestions were then made on how to increase the intellectual impact and theoretical depth of academic argumentation.

According to Prof. Neil Roos, Director of the Postgraduate School, together with Prof. Jackie du Toit and Prof. Corli Witthuhn, Academic Coordinators for the Vice Chancellor’s Prestige Scholar Programme, the aim of the programme is to provide support to emerging researchers on postgraduate level similar to the Prestige Scholar Programme.

“The initiative is being rolled out in a faculty-specific way. In consultation with the deans, the specific needs in the faculty are determined, which in turn determines the approach,” says Prof. Roos.

The six students are all involved at the university in various capacities, and are studying towards a Ph.D. in Law. They are outstanding candidates who are being funded by the Postgraduate School in order to empower postgraduate students to greater reach, internationalisation and the establishment of long-term academic networks. The programme is coordinated in the Faculty of Law by Prof. Loot Pretorius.

Two upcoming researchers in the Faculty of Theology and one in Nursing joined the group for Prof. Jansen’s lecture on significant research.

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