Tauranga nurses turn hospital into dancefloor

Tauranga nurses are the latest to share their dancing exploits online but it might not be what you think.

The group of nurses gathered at Tauranga Hospital yesterday to take part in a flash mob dance to celebrate International Nurses Day.

May 12 is celebrated annually around the world by nurses, as it marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale. The nurses of the Kaupapa ward came up with the idea to celebrate with line dance.

Bay nurses also celebrated the day with Hi-5s.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board director of nursing Julie Robinson said it was a great example of how the nurses in the medical wards got into the spirit of celebrating International Nurses Day.

"Nursing is a very demanding job on many levels and this shows how the nurses support each other, the camaraderie they share and their ability to have a bit of fun."

The variety of roles nurses played and the contribution they made across the community, not just in the hospital setting, was huge now, she said.

"Many still see nurses as people who take temperatures and comfort their patients but, whilst those are important roles, nursing is much more complex than that.

"Nurses work in intensive care, the Emergency Department, neonatal, primary care, to name but a few. It is a psychologically, emotionally and physically demanding job but nurses are amazingly resilient and passionate and turn up day after day to help others. We want to acknowledge that today."