Looking to the future of nursing & midwifery: The Burdett Trust for Nursing extends the Nursing Now Challenge until 2025

The Burdett Trust for Nursing has today announced that it is committed to extending the Nursing Now Challenge until the end of December 2024. This extension will facilitate the development of the Nursing Now Challenge global network and ensure continued support for student and early-career nurses and midwives around the world.

The Chief Executive Officer of The Burdett Trust for Nursing, Shirley Baines; and Trustee of The Burdett Trust for Nursing and Chair of the Nursing Now Challenge Advisory Board, Dame Christine Beasley, share their vision for the future of nursing and midwifery, and the future of the Nursing Now Challenge.

We also include the thoughts of former Nursing Now Challenge Programme Director, Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt who was key in developing the work, and moved on from her role in December 2022.

What is the relationship between The Burdett Trust for Nursing and the Nursing Now Challenge?

Shirley Baines: The Nursing Now Challenge is a valued programme of The Burdett Trust for Nursing. The Trust is extremely proud to have funded “Nursing Now” in all its iterations since its inception in 2017. The Burdett Trust for Nursing aims to enhance excellence, innovation, creativity, and to strengthen the nursing contribution to healthcare in order to improve global health through the Nursing Now Challenge.

What are your hopes for the Nursing Now Challenge?

Dame Christine Beasley: The Nursing Now Challenge is fast becoming a powerful instrument of influence and change, reaching both student and early-career nurses and midwives providing support in all areas ranging from clinical care, capacity building and advocacy training. At a time when nurses and midwives are under intense pressure, The Burdett Trust for Nursing is keen to demonstrate its commitment to investing in nurses and in the nursing profession. The Nursing Now Challenge will continue to provide a vibrant, valued space for nurses and midwives around the world to connect, share experiences and best practices in order to enrich their nursing careers.

Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt: As we look towards the future, we hope to grow our global community of Nursing Now Challenge members and continue to offer exciting opportunities. I hope that the Nursing Now Challenge will continue to be a driver for leadership development opportunities and provide a robust global community of support alongside a vibrant eco-system of resources to enhance learning opportunities. Now more than ever, it is vital that we find a way of fueling motivation to stay within the nursing and midwifery workforce. One way we hope to achieve this is by demonstrating the versatility, broad scope, and endless opportunities that lie within a career of nursing and/ or midwifery.

What is unique about the Nursing Now Challenge?

Shirley Baines: The Nursing Now Challenge is a global community like no other. I’m amazed at the reach this programme has achieved and at the number of nurses and midwives joining webinars, taking part in competitions and global events who come from all over the world. The diversity of membership and the support system that has been created is truly unique.

Dame Christine Beasley: The Nursing Now Challenge is a significant part of the legacy of the Nursing Now social movement and continues to promote the recommendations made in the Nursing Now final evaluation, while supporting other global health organisations to improve access to health for all.

Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt: The Nursing Now Challenge is unique in that it places the focus on employers and Higher Education Institutions and their student and early-career nurses and midwives to ensure that the design and delivery of leadership development for the next generation of nurse and midwife leaders remains relevant to the local context. We never want to be prescriptive; we are here to provide holistic support to all our members. The Nursing Now Challenge offers many opportunities for its members to connect, collaborate and demonstrate their innovative ideas, critical thinking skills, and creativity. To learn more about these opportunities, check out our latest Nursing Now Challenge Global Solutions Initiative, the Challengers’ Committee, and our upcoming mentoring and networking sessions.

The Nursing Now Challenge

In June 2021, the Nightingale Challenge was relaunched as the Nursing Now Challenge under the leadership of Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt. Since then, the Nursing Now Challenge has carried forward the ambitious mandate of the Nightingale Challenge, supporting thousands of student and early-career nurses and midwives around the world to develop their leadership skills, promoting excellence in nursing and midwifery, and providing a much-needed platform for them to showcase their entrepreneurialism, critical thinking and innovative ideas. The Nursing Now Challenge works to raise the profile and build the power and potential of student and early-career nurses and midwives on a global scale. The value of the Nursing Now Challenge network is globally renowned, as it offers a unique space for student and early-career nurses and midwives to connect, share experiences and grow together. It has become a key feature and valuable support system in the lives of thousands of early-career nurses and midwives globally, representing a vibrant, diverse, challenge-led community where student and early-career nurses and midwives are inspired and motivated.

To learn more and accept the Nursing Now Challenge, click here!