The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. This year, the world recognises the vital role nurses and midwives play in providing health services worldwide.
In response to this, Bupa has accepted the Nursing Now Nightingale Challenge, an initiative launched at the International Council of Nurses Congress 2019, which aims to develop the next generation of nursing leaders during 2020, the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
Across Bupa, we are keen to create opportunities for Bupa nurses globally, where they can learn and grow - whether that’s by finding ways to inspire nurses to develop their careers or by enhancing the training opportunities available to our nurses.
We are particularly committed to supporting our nurses to work in leadership positions and growing nurse leaders of the future. Many Bupa nurses have taken part in our ‘Excellence in Healthcare’ leadership development programmes in the UK, which provide opportunities to further their knowledge in areas such as stakeholder management, business strategy, innovation in healthcare and finance. Some are studying for postgraduate qualifications in areas such as dermatology and infection prevention. For the fifth year running, we are also supporting nurse leadership scholarships with the Florence Nightingale Foundation.
Bupa Global Nurse Scholarship
Our Bupa Global Nurse Scholarship, first launched in 2018, provides nurses with an opportunity to grow. Nurses awarded the scholarship have access to a range of training options, coaching sessions and a personal study grant. To date, there have been 10 nurses around the world that have been granted a scholarship, all of which have led on their own clinical improvement projects, contributing to the international effort by nursing and midwives to improve health and wellbeing worldwide.
In 2020, Bupa’s nursing agenda will continue to span globally. In Spain, we will offer coaching sessions on self-awareness, conflict management and an online course in finance. In New Zealand, 20 nurses will be selected to take part in a bespoke leadership programme. In the UK, plans are underway for a unique nursing professional development event, focusing on personal leadership.
Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing career stories from nurses in various roles across Bupa globally. From dental to mental health to care services, we want to share their career journey, who inspires them and what advice they would offer other nurses who want to develop their careers.
At Bupa, we value our nurses tremendously. They play an important role in our customers’ lives and deliver our purpose of helping people to live longer, healthier, happier lives.
About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world.
We are an international healthcare company serving over 31 million customers worldwide. With no shareholders, we reinvest profits into providing more and better healthcare for the benefit of current and future customers.
We directly employ around 85,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Chile, Poland, New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, the US, Middle East and Ireland. We also have associate businesses in Saudi Arabia and India.