2020: Year of the Nurse | University of Maryland School of Nursing

UMSON's Connection to Nightingale

On May 12, 1820, Nightingale was born, and in her 90 years of life, she forever changed the course of health care history. She taught Louisa Parsons, UMSON’s first superintendent, at her Nightingale Home and Training School for Nurses in London, and in so doing, forever changed our own history.

International Year of the Nurse Resources

UMSON proudly celebrates 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and honors the pivotal role that nurses play in providing evidence-based, empathetic health care in Maryland, nationwide, and around the globe.

In commemoration of Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife “to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, highlight the challenging conditions they often face, and advocate for increased investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce,” according to the organization’s website.

UMSON joins WHO in recognizing that despite two centuries of history as lifesavers, advocates, caregivers, researchers, and educators in the health care sector, our time is now. We face the future embracing the spirit of “Flo,” as we affectionately refer to her, ready to lead.

We will celebrate the Year of the Nurse in conjunction with Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2020.

Q: Why did you become a nurse?

To kick off the International Year of the Nurse, we asked our social media followers to tell us what inspired them to become nurses. A few of their answers are below.

My dad has a bone disease and seeing the impact good nurses have on his quality of life and recovery meant so much to me.

I had a career in IT in Corporate America, lost my job in a huge bankruptcy. Always loved medicine and science so, in my early 40s I re-invented myself.

I wanted to educate people in my country, Malawi, about the stigma that is painted for people living with HIV/AIDS.

"I become a nurse because of my innate ability to want to help people."

When I was younger I was diagnosed with a rare form of [rheumatoid arthritis]. ... My nurses always stayed with me, made me feel like an actual person, and didn't define who I was and capable of based on my diagnoses. They were my cheerleaders, healers, and support system.

After 22 years of nursing what I do so perfectly is to help people feel better at any time in their life when the nurse is needed in whatever capacity that may be.

To make a difference in children's lives and help their families through difficult times.

I became a nurse to help the millions of people that deal with mental illness on a daily basis and can't get the help they need.

I decided to become a nurse when I was a middle schooler. I spent lots of time in the emergency room due to my asthma. I always remembered how the nurses were caring and compassionate and always made me feel safe.

Join us in using hashtag #YearoftheNurse on social media to celebrate throughout the year.