60 Seconds With…. Joanne Bosanquet MBE RN
RCNi’s new national nursing event, Nursing Live, is being developed in partnership with an advisory board made up of nurses, clinical experts, and other healthcare practitioners, from a wide variety of backgrounds.
We caught up with advisory board member Joanne Bosanquet MBE, Chief Executive of The Foundation Of Nursing Studies, and asked her about her career, her views on the profession, and why she’s supporting Nursing Live.
How and why did you become a nurse?
From a young age I was interested in people and communities. I also enjoyed exploring health beliefs within my family which was quite diverse, ranging from manual workers to middle class professionals. A natural advocate, I looked after my grandparents as they got older as well. I loved it, and it established my nursing values.
What inspires you most about nurses and the nursing profession?
Being part of a global team of over 27 million nursing professionals and midwives, I am inspired every day by the difference we can make. We advocate for communities and individuals, and we address inequalities. We also play a vital role in all 17 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, including working towards universal health care, and recruiting and retaining the current (and future) health and care workforce.
What is the biggest challenge nurses are facing?
Nursing has an outdated image, especially in wealthier countries where Western medicine dominates, and doctors tend to have loud voices. Further, nurses are not viewed as STEM professionals – which we clearly are - so that needs to change. In my view, the nursing profession is also not valued enough politically, so we need to work together and demonstrate our impact at a population level, as well as at individual and community level.
What advances are you most excited about in nursing?
Digital advancements are astounding to me, especially the use of AI. Nurses have been able to strengthen their roles by becoming more autonomous, and are therefore better placed to respond to the individual needs of their communities. But advancements in nursing and midwifery practice, research, and leadership, are the drivers which will address health inequalities and increase universal health and care coverage globally.
What do you wish that people understood better about nursing?
From prevention and better population health and well-being outcomes, to commissioning, policy, research and strategic leadership, contemporary nursing practice extends far beyond ‘the bedside’. We are everywhere, and should be around every decision-making table.
What do you think nurses need right now?
We need to stop asking for permission to be heard. We need to be valued and seen as an equal partner, not only within the health and care system but across all government departments. Those Peers who are already empowered to influence policy also need to advocate for us. Remuneration, flexibility and career opportunities across the whole profession are also clearly especially important; something policymakers need to pay attention to stop nurses leaving the sector.
Do you have a message for nurses?
You are valued. You are part of the world’s most important and necessary health and care profession. Work together to articulate your message, focusing on the difference you make on an individual, community and population level. Write about your impact and share it across the system. Lobby to be recognised as a STEM professional.
Our collective global voice is louder than anyone else’s, so what are we waiting for?!
Why did you choose to get involved in Nursing Live?
I have supported RCNi activities which promote excellence in nursing, including the RCN Nursing Awards, for several years, and I see Nursing Live as another opportunity to showcase the impact we make every day, and establish a growing community of nurses progressing our amazing profession. I’m also looking forward to meeting lots of new colleagues and celebrating nursing’s role at the very heart of the UK’s health and care sector.