News
(22.9.2021)
International Nursing Symposium commemorates the legacy of Florence Nightingale – the founder of professional nursing
The prestigious international symposium, which was initiated by the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia, took place on 16-17 September 2021. Due to the limitations brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, the event was held online. It was the thirteenth year of this conference, which is organised on a rotational basis by universities in the Visegrád Four. The partner universities of FHSS USB are Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia, the University of Debrecen in Hungary, and the University of Rzeszów in Poland.
The event was originally scheduled to take place at our faculty last autumn. However, at that time it was not possible to hold any meetings at all, let alone international ones. To avoid further complications, the organizers decided ahead of time that the thirteenth year of this conference would be held online. The main topic focused on the importance of Florence Nightingale's legacy, as last year marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of this figure who fundamentally influenced the development of the field of nursing worldwide.
Prof., PhDr., Valérie Tóthová, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Science and Research and Director of the Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Emergency Care at FHSS USB, said: "I am very sorry that the conference is not being held in-house and that we do not have the opportunity to meet colleagues from the Visegrád Four countries in person. However, the conference programme includes some very interesting contributions, so at least in this way we have the opportunity to get acquainted with the research and teaching activities our colleagues are implementing at their universities."
The conference featured more than 40 presentations on various topics. Participants came from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Germany. The full programme is still available on the following website: http://konference.zsf.jcu.cz/MezinarodniSympozium
The tradition of these conferences, which have already gained a great international reputation, was established in České Budějovice. Since 2001, the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia began to organize yearly South Bohemia Nursing Days. These gradually attracted more and more foreign participants until they developed into a symposium. The first symposium was held in České Budějovice and the rule that each subsequent symposium is organised by another partner university was established in 2008. Now this event is an important forum for health professionals, not only from the countries of the so-called Visegrád Four, but other countries too.
Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in nursing; her far-sighted ideas and reforms made a significant contribution to the professionalisation of health care – and some of these still underpin contemporary nursing. She was instrumental in transforming nursing into a respected profession and improving the standard of health care. She initiated the establishment of the first vocational school for nurses: The Nightingale Home and Training School for Nurses, St. Thomas' Hospital. She was born in Florence, Italy, on 12 May 1820. It was at the time of the 200th anniversary of her birth that the impact of a new type of coronavirus pandemic began to become apparent around the world – highlighting the difficult workload of nurses and other health professionals. Due to this, the public has become more aware of the need for and importance of these professions, increasing their prestige. In this context, the importance of the education of nurses, which enables them to provide adequate and high-quality care, cannot be overlooked.
Attached images
