Ostend (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Nurses’ Week, started in 1975 by NVKVV, attracts around 4,000 attendees annually. Historian Luc De Munck emphasizes its importance for nursing education, covering topics like mental health and elderly care.
It has been said that the nursing program is popular this school year, and even nurses who are already working need more training. For 50 years, Nurses’ Week has been a big event where thousands of nurses come together for a few days to learn. It started in 1975 when the NVKVV, which was the Nursing Network’s old name, held the first week in Ostend. Historian Luc De Munck, who studies nursing history at KU Leuven, says that good education for nurses has always been important. The first week included 7 study days on topics like nursing systems, home care, teamwork in mental health, and social health care.
What impact did Luc De Muck highlight about the 1980 nurses’ week in Ostend?
In the early years of the nursing study days, more and more people started joining, peaking in 1980 with about 11,000 attendees. Historian Luc De Munck noted that this big turnout led to overcrowding in some sessions. Usually, around 3,000 nurses attend each year, but 1980 was a special year. The event still attracts a lot of interest, last year, nearly 4,000 nurses signed up, and a similar number is expected this year. This shows that the study days are really important for helping nurses learn and develop in their careers. Even though the number of attendees has changed over time, the event remains a key part of nursing education.
Over the last 50 years, more than 5,000 experts have come to Ostend to share ideas, and nurses talk about their experiences. This year’s study days cover topics like children’s nursing, home care, pain management, mental health, elderly care, and support for disabled people. During Nursing Week, they give out awards called ‘Pearls of a Nurse’ to hardworking nurses nominated by their colleagues, and this year they added a new award for healthcare professionals, with 7 winners chosen. Melanie Vanderlinden, an intensive care nurse, helps patients feel better by chatting with them and assisting with simple tasks, and she feels happy when they move to a regular room. Nursing Week is organized by Netwerk Verpleegkunde, which has 7,500 members, continuing the work of the NVKVV that started in 1936 for Catholic and Flemish nurses.
