Florence Nightingale Medal: a century of nursing excellence

12-05-2012 Photo gallery

Exactly a century ago, the Florence Nightingale Medal was instituted by the ICRC. It is the highest international distinction that can be awarded to a nurse. On the occasion of International Nurses Day (12 May – also Florence Nightingale's birthday), the ICRC looks back at 100 years of nursing excellence from around the world.

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  • Haiti, 2010. Mme Augsburger, who presides over the commission that awards the Florence Nightingale Medal, speaks at a ceremony in Port-au-Prince, where three volunteers of the Haitian Red Cross received the Medal, in recognition for their work following the Haiti Earthquake in January 2010. The exceptional awarding of the Medal in 2010 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Florence Nightingale, as well as recognizing the incredible body of work of Haitian Red Cross nurses.
    © ICRC

  "The Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest distinction that can be awarded to a nurse, represents the professional body of work of all those nurses and nursing aides that have been working for many years under very difficult circumstances – in situations of conflict, natural disaster and other emergencies.

  I am very honoured to preside over this Commission and I hope that this award will continue to recognize for many years to come the unrelenting work of nurses and nursing aides in extraordinary situations such as armed conflict.

  I think it is important for the ICRC to have greater access to nurses in countries that don't have the infrastructure required to present nominees to the Florence Nightingale Medal Commission. These countries are for the most part in Latin America and Africa."

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  • Italy, 1930. Headquarters of the Italian Red Cross. Florence Nightingale Award ceremony.
    © ICRC / hist-e-03523

  Her Majesty the Queen honours the ceremony with her presence on 31 May 1930. During the ceremony, she bestowes the Florence Nightingale Medal upon duchess Elisabetta Cito di Torrecuso.

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  • South Korea, 1983. Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony. The Medal is awarded to nurses Dr San-cho Chun and Miss Keum-ja Jeon.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00269
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  • The Florence Nightingale Medal.
    © ICRC / T. Gassmann / emb-d-00044
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  • Japan, 2009. Presentation ceremony for the Florence Nightingale award.
    © Japanese Red Cross / jp-e-00178
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  • Australia, 1983. Canberra, Government House. Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony. The President of the Australian Red Cross, Her Excellency Lady Stephen, awards the Medal to Group Captain Ailsa Betty Edwards.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00273
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  • Thailand, 1986. Chitralada Villa, Bangkok. Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony. Princess Chakri Sirindhorn awards the Medal to one of the two laureates (Miss Sermsook Changsorn and Miss Phonsiri Narksang).
    © ICRC / cer-e-00283
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  • Poland, 1987. Headquarters of the Polish Red Cross, Warsaw. Florence Nightingale Medal Award ceremony in honour of three of the four Polish laureates – Mrs Helena Rabowska-Witkiewicz, Mrs Magdalena Puslowska-Owczarek and Mrs Irena Romanowska.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00287
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  • Japan, 1977. Awarding of the Florence Nightingale Medal on the occasion of the centennial of the Japanese Red Cross. Mr Alexandre Hay, president of the ICRC (1976-1987), attended the ceremony.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00321-03
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  • Pakistan, 1977. Special ceremony to award the Florence Nightingale Medal. CDR Begum Mumtaz Chughtai, a medical officer in the Pakistani Armed Forces, receives the Medal from the President of Pakistan.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00311
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  • Bolivia, 1986. La Paz. Florence Nightingale Medal laureate Sra. Dona Francisca Nieto Pando.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00284
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  • Syria, 1989. Damascus. The Florence Nightingale Medal is awarded to a Syrian laureate. From left to right: Dr Fouad Hamzeh, President, and Mrs Khairia Al-Orfali, laureate.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00297
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  • Philippines, 1977. One of two Florence Nightingale Medal laureates, Miss Juana Bactat, receives her prize.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00314-03
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  • Yugoslavia, 1978. Belgrade. Florence Nightingale Medal award ceremony. From left to right: Mrs Mihaela Terzic, Mrs Sasa Javorina and Vera Lipovscak, a previous medal laureate.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00313-02
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  • Japan, 2009. Her Majesty The Empress Michiko gives the Florence Nightingale Medal to Ms Saita, a 2009 laureate.
    © Japanese Red Cross / jp-e-00181
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  • USSR, 1975. Mr V.I. Semoukha, President of the Central Committee of the Belarus Red Cross, gives the Florence Nightingale Medal to Mrs Ekatérina Efimovna Sirenko, one of the outstanding nurses in the Soviet Union.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00317
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  • South Korea, 1985. King Sejong Cultural Centre, Seoul. Prof. Young-sook Hong and Mrs Ok-Young Lee are the two Korean laureates for 1985. Five hundred nurses attend the ceremony that also marks the 80th anniversary of the Red Cross of the Korean Republic. President Kim is delivering his speech from the stage.
    © ICRC / cer-e-00280
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  • Mongolia, 2007. The official ceremony to grant the distinctive honour of the 41st Florence Nightingale Award to Ms Surenkhai Tavkhai.
    © ICRC / mn-e-00006
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  • East Germany, 1978. The German Red Cross in Dresden, Florence Nightingale Medal Award ceremony. Sister Senta Herdam and Mrs Hanna Stoltenhoff, Head Nurse, are the two German laureates who were awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal in 1977.
    © ICRC / E. Freund / cer-e-315-02
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  • Switzerland, 2003. Geneva. The winners of the 39th Florence Nightingale Medal come to ICRC headquarters to receive their award.
    © ICRC / T. Gassmann / cer-e-00047