"I vividly remember one of the nurses in hospital being gorgeous and looking after me so well. I was devastated when she didn't come back on a shift the next day," said Mrs MacDonald, a nurse unit manager at John Hunter Hospital.

"From that, nursing was all I ever wanted to do. I get a huge kick out of making someone feel better."

Mrs MacDonald, who has been a nurse for 20 years, spoke to the Newcastle Herald ahead of International Nurses Day on Friday.

It's a day celebrated around the world each year on May 12 to mark the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth and the contributions nurses make to society.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said nurses are "an integral part of the health system".

Mr Park said NSW employs more than 53,000 nurses and midwives.

"Each makes a valuable contribution to the care and experience of patients, families and carers all over NSW," he said.

Fiona Hodson, who has been a nurse for 35 years, also works at John Hunter Hospital.

"One of the positives about nursing is there's such diversity. There are so many different roles in nursing," Ms Hodson said.

"You can do renal, cardiac, ICU, gynaecology and all these different specialties. Once you find the one you enjoy, that's where you tend to explore all options."

Ms Hodson, for example, has specialised for 25 years in pain management. As well as her clinical role, she is presently vice president of Chronic Pain Australia. She is a nurse of the year finalist in next week's HESTA Nursing and Midwifery Awards.

"I basically started as an assistant in a nursing home. Although it was the toughest gig in the world, I enjoyed helping and being with elderly people," she said.

She then moved into palliative care, before working her way through the ranks to become a clinical nurse consultant at John Hunter Hospital, where she works in chronic pain management and provides leadership and mentoring.

Professor Amanda Johnson, dean of the University of Newcastle's school of nursing and midwifery, said International Nurses Day was also about "acknowledging the investment in nurses through education".

"Nurses are pivotal to making a difference in people's lives," she said.

About 500 nursing students graduated from the university last year, which she said provided "a critical boost to our region's workforce".

The university put in place initiatives this year to encourage more people to study nursing and promote the profession for its career opportunities and prospects.

The nursing profession has been in the spotlight in recent years, given the effects of the pandemic, increased workloads and staff shortages.

Rachel Hughes, a John Hunter Hospital nurse and branch secretary of NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association, said "I want people to celebrate what nurses give to their role".

"I'm not sure if the general public realise how much of ourselves we give in our role every day," she said.

"We've made a lot of sacrifices over the past few years."

Ms Hodson added that nursing is "not an easy job".

She said the debate around nurse to patient ratios was important "whether that's in nursing homes, acute care or emergency departments".

"I think that is a major thing that could actually help nurses remain in the specialty or be attracted back to it," she said.

"What goes a long way is support for flexible hours, child care arrangements on site and being paid a fair and equitable wage for the workload.

"Many nurses work above and beyond."

On behalf of the NSW government, Mr Park said "we want to thank all our nurses and midwives for the care they provide."

Ms Hughes said the new state government offered nurses hope.

Asked what keeps nurses going when times are tough, Ms Hughes said "a lot of the time it is our colleagues".

"We've gotten into this job because it's something we love to do. Looking after colleagues, patients and the community is what we're all doing it for."

Mrs MacDonald said it's nice for society to "recognise the great work that nurses do".

"Nurses are a special type of person that give so much of themselves to others. They should be celebrated every day."

She said her "fabulous team" and the "patients we care for" drive her.

"I'm a pretty bubbly person, so we have a pretty good time on the ward," she said.

"A positive work environment leads to a positive workplace."

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