Bermuda’s Nurse of the Year highlighted the impact kindness can make for healthcare workers on the front lines.

Christine Bogle-Mienzer, who was named Nurse of the Year this month, said: “While we are at the centre of service and giving, nursing is a profession that constantly gives of itself.

“Often a lot is required, and nurses are human beings too, going through their own personal things.

“When you see a nurse that may have a dull light or there isn’t any sparkle, say a word of care.

“Nurses are there to help you holistically heal, but patients could also be a source of inspiration. A simple thank you or good morning makes a big difference in our lives.”

Ms Bogle-Meinzer has been a nurse since 2003 and has practised in Bermuda for more than 16 years.

She won Nurse of the Year several times and is an adjunct member of faculty at the Bermuda College.

She said: “When I see students graduate and take their rightful place in society as a nurse, that’s very rewarding.

“I’ve also developed a rapport with patients and their families along their journey of healthcare recovery; that’s also been extremely rewarding and gives me immense gratitude.”

Ms Bogle-Meinzer spoke during International Nurses Day on the steps of City Hall yesterday.

This year’s theme, chosen by the International Council of Nurses, was “Our nurses, our future: caring for nurses strengthens economies”.

Karen Grant-Simmons, the president of the Bermuda Nurses Association, said the theme speaks to nurses’ mission as “agents of progress, pillars of public wellbeing and economic drivers”.

She explained: “Nurses, essential to healthcare delivery, are increasingly facing insurmountable challenges that undermine their wellbeing and threaten their ability to provide high-quality care.

“Chronic understaffing, unsafe working conditions and inadequate pay have led to widespread burnout, high attrition rates and migration of scarce skilled professionals to less damaging work environments.”

Dr Grant-Simmons added: “The future of our economies is stronger when we care for those who care for everyone else.

“Healthy nurses lead to healthier patients and communities, which mean a more productive workforce, which mean more resilient economies.”

Charles Gosling, the Mayor of Hamilton, said: “With skill, strength and boundless compassion, [nurses] care for us at our most vulnerable moments, bringing dignity, comfort and hope when it is needed most.”

Part of a proclamation, read at the event by Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, stated: “The depth and breadth of the nursing profession meet the different and emerging healthcare needs of the Bermuda population in a wide range of settings.

“The demand for nursing services is greater than ever because of the ageing Bermuda population, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies and the growth of home healthcare services.”

The statement concluded: “In celebration of the quality of care delivered by the nurses of Bermuda, and the consistent striving towards an innovative and collaborative approach for access and equity to providing quality healthcare in this community, I hereby proclaim this day International Nurses Day and May as nursing month, celebrating the theme ‘Our nurses, our future: caring for nurses strengthens economies’.”