National Nursing Week: May 8-14, 2023

National Nursing Week is a week-long celebration that takes place every year the same week as Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. The goal of the week is to honor nurses for their dedication and hard work, and to raise awareness of the important role they play in healthcare. The week includes a range of activities, including educational events, recognition ceremonies, and networking opportunities. National Nursing Week is a time to celebrate the contributions of nurses and to show appreciation for the important work they do.

The theme this year is Our Nurses. Our Future. This theme showcases the many roles that nurses play in a patient’s health-care journey. The pandemic brought to light the courage and commitment that nurses work under every day and showed the important role that nurses play in the community. Read more.

CDTRP Special Interview with Maria Morais

CDTRP’s Communications Manager, Stéphanie, recently met with Maria Morais, a registered nurse with 31-year experience and a liver transplant recipient. She joined the CDTRP Patient, Family and Donor Partnership Platform this in February 2021 and is volunteering on the UHN Centre for Living Organ Donation patient partner advisory council.

During the interview, Maria shared her personal background and discussed her interest in nursing as a career. She also talked about the most rewarding aspects of her job as a registered nurse. Maria shared how her nursing practice changed after her liver transplant and the importance of patient partners being involved in research. Maria believes that patient partners can help researchers understand the lived experience of patients and can provide valuable insights into healthcare improvements. Overall, the interview highlights Maria’s dedication to patient-centric care and her passion for nursing.

Listen to the full interview below.
About Maria Morais

Maria Morais holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Toronto and for the last 30 years has worked primarily as a Supervisor within Public Health, focusing on Chronic Disease Prevention and community wellbeing, implementing health promotion strategies related to obesity, heart health and diabetes in partnership with schools, workplaces and municipalities.

August 2021, Maria received a living liver transplant at the UHN Ajmera Transplant Program, Toronto General Hospital, after suffering from a rare auto-immune liver disease known as Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC). Having been through such a life-changing journey, she now joins others as a patient partner, bringing awareness and hope to the issues of liver health, organ donation and transplantation by sharing her lived experience.