Alberta nurses wear white on Nursing Week and emphasize advocacy

Florence Nightingale, whose birthday fell on May 12 - the first day of National Nursing Week 2014 - which this year is the first day of National Nursing Week 2014, reminded us in her writing that nursing is about patient advocacy.

In good times and bad, that's exactly what United Nurses of Alberta and its 30,000 members do: Advocate for quality care when Albertans require it, properly funded and universally accessible.

This year, UNA nurses marked National Nursing Week by wearing white on the job - a powerful reminder to patients, families and our colleagues in health care of how few Registered Nurses are in the health care system, and of the important work we do.

In addition, UNA took that message, plus the need for the public to the value of Canada's public health care system to the general public through a province-wide radio advertising campaign.

The ads, narrated by President Heather Smith, were broadcast everywhere in Alberta throughout Nursing Week on a variety of stations playing such formats as easy listening, country and talk radio, heard in all parts of the province. Ads were also played on the CBC and Aboriginal radio.