2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth; a year meant for celebration, and a deeper look at the importance of the nursing role in the future of healthcare. Today, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the nurse and the urgent need for investment of this precious resource is at the forefront of many health policy makers’ agendas. As we entered 2020, many countries were already facing a nursing shortage. The World Health Organization’s first State of the World’s Nursing report, launched in April this year, reported a global shortage of six million nurses (1). As nurses account for nearly 50% of the global health workforce, this shortage has and will have a profound effect on healthcare teams.

2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth; a year meant for celebration, and a deeper look at the importance of the nursing role in the future of healthcare. Today, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the nurse and the urgent need for investment of this precious resource is at the forefront of many health policy makers’ agendas. As we entered 2020, many countries were already facing a nursing shortage. The World Health Organization’s first State of the World’s Nursing report, launched in April this year, reported a global shortage of six million nurses (WHO 2020a, p.xiii). As nurses account for nearly 50% of the global health workforce, this shortage has and will have a profound effect on healthcare teams. The position of the nurse on the healthcare team is first and foremost the responsibility to people requiring nursing care, to work closely with the patient to ensure they understand what the health issues are, what the treatment is, what choices they have, and what they need to do to get better. The nurse’s role is also to inform and educate patients, families and communities on prevention, and provide advice and emotional support.