Nursing in times of crisis: COVID-19 & WW2

What’s on offer?

This event will take place for around 2 hours in our newest campus building – custom-built to support health and social care. You'll hear from our university researchers and student nurses, with opportunities to try several different activities. We will provide refreshments, though not lunch.

What’s it about?

The year 2020 was the ‘Year of the Nurse’, with nurses coming to prominence in ways they could never have anticipated, from the ‘clap for carers initiative’ to NHS rainbow posters in windows around the country. At this event we'll hear what it was like to be on COVID wards from Bournemouth University student nurses who worked on them throughout the pandemic.

But it isn't the first time nurses have stepped up in a crisis, we'll also look at World War II. Combining historical uniforms and stories from WW2 nurses, we'll look at how nurses coped through the war and how their work is different to nursing today.

We'll have several different activities to try, immersing you in the world of nursing through the ages. This event is linked to the Memories of Nursing project - a collaboration between the Retired Nurses National Home (RNNH) and Bournemouth University.

Who’s leading the event?

Researchers Dr Desiree Tait, Dr Janet Scammell and Dr Ian Donaldson, as well as learning experts Professor Debbie Holley and Sarah Keeley, all from Bournemouth University.

Open to

Open to all, you needn’t be/ have been a nurse to attend.

Of particular interest to

Of particular interest to those with experiences or memories of nursing, whether personal or professional. You needn’t be/ have been a nurse yourself, we recognise that nursing touches the lives of most people in some way or another throughout their lives.