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International Nurses Day 2024

12 Mayo 2024

Nurses are key players in health promotion and disease prevention. They are the backbone of healthcare systems worldwide. Working on the front lines of disease prevention, health promotion, and health management, they are often the unsung heroes in health services and emergency response. Because of their critical role in health care, investments are needed in nursing education, jobs, leadership, and service delivery. In observance of International Nurses Day 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has proposed that its Member States hold discussions on gender, leadership, and innovation in nursing education and practice in the Region of the Americas.

Illustration of a nurse

Data

Nursing in the Region of the Americas:

  • There are about 7 million nursing professionals
  • 43% of countries report fewer than 30 nurses per 10,000 population
  • 15% of nurses are 55 years of age or older
  • 89% are women
  • 79% work in the public sector
  • 74% work in hospitals
  • In the health sector, women are underrepresented in leadership positions and face inequalities in salary levels. On average, women earn 20% less than men.
  • Although women have attributes that make them effective leaders, such as sensitivity and empathy, gender gaps in leadership positions persist.
  • Nurses interact directly with people and establish trusting relationships with them. They are involved at all levels of health care delivery and can be decisive leaders in the transformation of health systems.
  • Ministries of Health in some countries in the Region have no nurses in management positions. The position of chief nursing officer (CNO) is present in 47% of the countries.
  • Today's society and educational systems offer a unique opportunity for nurses to develop their leadership skills. Leaders in nursing can help facilitate this transformation and prepare future professionals. Effective nursing leadership will ensure strategic planning, along with judicious implementation and evaluation, aimed at increasing the number of nursing professionals.
  • In most of Latin America and the Caribbean, advanced practice nursing (APN) is in the early stages of development.
  • There are inequalities in the availability of training opportunities. Of the 2,540 nursing schools in the region, 83% are located in just two countries: Brazil (42%) and the United States of America (41%). Latin America and the Caribbean has 63 doctoral programs in nursing, 65% of them in Brazil.
  • Nursing education systems are dissimilar in terms of the competencies of trained professionals, the structure and updating of the curriculum, and faculty qualifications.
  • Interprofessional education remains under-explored and under-adopted in nursing education programs.
  • 34% of users of PAHO's Virtual Campus for Public Health are nursing professionals.
  • Continuing education is a necessary personal and professional investment throughout one's working life.
  • New technologies have transformed nursing education in recent years, revealing new opportunities and challenges for educators and students. Virtual learning can increase educational access and opportunities for nursing students living in remote areas, offering an alternative for delivering courses, practicing simulations, and facilitating clinical experiences at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Virtual educational strategies have become a useful tool for access to knowledge, overcoming geographical barriers and time constraints in nursing education.
  • There is an opportunity to accelerate and expand innovation in health service delivery and to strengthen the capacity, effectiveness, and efficiency of PHC-based health systems, while moving toward the goals of disease prevention, control, and elimination.
  • The increased use of telehealth can help achieve more responsive primary health care, expanding access for all, especially the most vulnerable groups.
  • Nurses will need knowledge and skills to lead the development of new models of patient care facilitated by information and communication technologies.
  • Nursing schools have the opportunity to plan and implement competency development initiatives for faculty; update their curricula with a view to increasing the use of information and communication technologies in all areas; and take new approaches to teaching online, hybrid, and simulation-based programs. 

Key messages

  1. In the health sector, women face inequalities in salary distribution. We must promote gender equity in the nursing workforce to improve working conditions and promote retention of these professionals in their own countries.
  2. Nurses interact directly with the community and can be critical leaders in health policy-making. It is therefore essential to promote leadership opportunities and develop the capacities of nursing professionals.
  3. Through innovations in health such as telehealth and interprofessional collaboration, nurses will be able to expand access to PHC-based health services for populations in conditions of vulnerability in rural or underserved areas.