Thank You, Nurses

International Nurses Day is on 12 May 2023

by Claire Law

Suitable for Key Stage 2

Aims

To consider how Florence Nightingale’s example inspires nursing today.

Preparation and materials

• You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Thank You, Nurses) and the means to display them.
• Have available the YouTube video ‘Short stories: Florence Nightingale’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 2.23 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/Frow559jWSE

Assembly

1. Show Slide 1.
   
   Ask the children whether they can guess the profession of the person in this picture.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   The answer is that this person is a nurse.
   
   
2. Show Slide 2.
   
   Ask the children whether any of them can identify who this person is. Do they know her name, or the nickname that she was given?
   
   Click to reveal the answer.
   
   This is a photograph of Florence Nightingale. She was born on 12 May 1820, and is known for her work as a nurse. During the Crimean War in the 1850s, Florence treated injured soldiers and developed safer ways of nursing patients.
   
   She was nicknamed ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ because she insisted on checking on her patients throughout the night.
   
   Click to reveal a painting of Florence Nightingale with a lamp, walking among patients’ beds.
   
   
3. Nursing has come a long way since Florence was treating her patients. Let’s watch a short video to discover a bit more about her life.
   
   Show the YouTube video ‘Short stories: Florence Nightingale’ (2.23 minutes long). 
   
   
   
   
4. In memory of Florence Nightingale’s legacy, and to recognize the work of nurses today, Florence’s birthday, 12 May, has become known as International Nurses Day.
   
   Show Slide 3.
    
5. Many things in medicine have changed since Florence Nightingale’s time. Nurses have access to lots of different technologies and medicines that weren’t available in her lifetime. However, Florence’s commitment to patients and medical excellence is still at the heart of modern nursing.
   
   
6. Show Slide 4.
   
   The NHS uses the six Cs of care to define the values that are central to nursing. Nurses aim to make the six Cs a key part of how they do their job.
     
7. Show Slide 5.
   
   Ask the children what they understand by the word ‘care’.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   Nurses show that they care for their patients. They want to help them get better.
   
   Likewise, Florence Nightingale cared deeply for her patients and worked hard to help them.
   
   
8. Show Slide 6.
   
   Ask the children what they understand by the word ‘compassion’.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   Nurses show kindness to their patients and respect them.
   
   Likewise, Florence Nightingale chatted to her patients and treated them with kindness. She would sit with dying soldiers, write down what they wanted to say in a letter and then send it to their family back home.
   
   
9. Show Slide 7.
   
   Ask the children what they understand by the word ‘courage’.
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   Nurses have the courage to do the right thing for their patients. That might mean speaking up when they have concerns.
   
   Florence Nightingale took risks so that she could bring about change too. She felt strongly that it was important for hospitals and their staff to be as clean as possible. She insisted that the nurses who worked with her washed their hands regularly, even though this wasn’t standard practice back then.
   
   
10. Show Slide 8.
    
    Ask the children what they understand by the word ‘communication’.
    
    Listen to a range of responses.
    
    Nurses communicate clearly. They listen carefully to patients, and give them clear information about their care.
    
    Florence Nightingale believed that clear communication was vital for good nursing. She encouraged her nurses to communicate with the people in their care, and speak directly with them.
    
    
11. Show Slide 9.
    
    Ask the children what they understand by the word ‘commitment’.
    
    Listen to a range of responses.
    
    Nurses are committed to improving how they work so that patients can have the best possible recovery. They strive to be the best nurses they can be.
    
    Florence Nightingale saw her work as a mission, not just a job.
    
    
12. Show Slide 10.
    
    Ask the children what they understand by the word ‘competence’.
    
    Listen to a range of responses.
    
    Nurses are trained regularly so that they have the right skills and knowledge to do their job in the best possible way.
    
    Florence Nightingale was always gathering data about new treatments so that she could learn what worked best. She then used this information to educate trainee nurses.

Time for reflection

Show Slide 4 again.

Ask the children to think about the six Cs: care, compassion, courage, communication, commitment and competence.

Ask the following questions.

- Which of the six Cs do they find the easiest to show?
- Which of them do they find the hardest to show?

Encourage the children to focus on showing care, commitment and courage.

Ask them how they might show care, commitment and courage at school today.

Listen to a range of responses.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for Florence Nightingale’s example.
Thank you for all the nurses who care for us when we are unwell.
Please help us to follow their example of care in how we treat others.
Amen.