LAUSR

What a better time to address nurses as heroes and political activists than on this, the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale and in the year of the nurse and midwife? Who better to serve as the model for what nurses must be - guardians and advocates of patients' welfare? Nurses' experiences during COVID-19, visibly documented during nightly news broadcasts, have raised the public's awareness of what nurses do on a daily basis. Such awareness has resulted in the public labelling nurses as heroes. In other words, the public recognizes nurses for their courage, bravery, commitment, knowledge, resilience, advocacy, and persistence in the face of incredible adversity. Consequently, the public now has a better idea of nurses' work. However, it is important to acknowledge nurses' work has not changed; rather it is public perception that has changed.