VIDEO: Scotland’s student nurses thanked for coronavirus efforts on International Nurses Day

A heart-warming social media campaign has been launched to thank Scotland’s student nurses for their hard work and resilience during the coronavirus crisis.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) marked International Nurses Day on Tuesday by calling on its staff, students and the public to show appreciation for the university’s past and present nursing students on the Covid-19 frontline.

Using the campaign hashtag #ThankyouGCUNurses, people have been encouraged to post videos and stories to spread the message of thanks for these key workers.

More than 500 student nurses from GCU have joined NHS Scotland’s national emergency response to the pandemic, as well as alumni, community nurses, advanced practice and return to practice nurses.

Scores of staff from the Department of Nursing and Community Health, who are still registered nurses, are also working on the frontline in their spare time.

Senior nursing lecturers Gordon Hill and Tom McAlear were inspired by the amazing response to the weekly NHS applause, and thought International Nurses Day would be an ideal time to launch their own campaign to give people the chance to say thank you to GCU’s nursing students and staff.

Happy #InternationalNursesDay💙Students share a heartwarming message with our nursing students who are out on placement during COVID-19👐 Thank you to our student nurses out working right now doing @CaledonianNews proud 🌈@GCUNursingSoc @NHSGGC @GCUNursing #ThankYouGCUNurses pic.twitter.com/EhnBHjK35I

— GCU Student Life (@GCU_StudentLife) May 12, 2020

Tom said: “The truly remarkable efforts made by our student nurses and GCU alumni in rising to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the way in which our students and staff have worked together for the common good at this time highlights the strength and resilience of the GCU nursing family.

“The response of the undergraduate student nurses, community nurses, advanced practitioners and all the other students in the Department of Nursing and Community Health has been awe-inspiring. We would also like to thank the staff in the NHS and care sector for supporting our students during this period.”

GCU’s School of Health and Life Sciences Dean, Professor Andrea Nelson, said the way the whole School has pulled together throughout the coronavirus pandemic “really demonstrates the commitment and passion” staff have shown for their professions and their students.

“In this year of the nurse, we wanted to say a big thank you to everyone involved in caring for communities under pressure, including the nurses of the future. We are immensely proud of all our students and staff for their contribution to the global pandemic,” said Professor Nelson.

Head of Nursing and Community Health, Professor Jacqueline McCallum, added: “Staff in the department have been nothing short of amazing. To organise for students to study online and for others to go out on paid placements has been hugely impressive.”