Covid-19 and nursing workforce, leadership and education development - a discussion paper

The year 2020 was intended to be a celebratory year for all nurses and midwives as the World Health Organisation has designed it to be the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping through the globe, 2020 has turned out to be a year that is entirely different from what nurses expected. Drawing from contemporary literature and first-hand experience as an academic working in higher education institution, this paper discusses the unique challenges and opportunities that nursing profession faced in the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the impact of this pandemic on nursing workforce, leadership and education in the year 2020 and beyond.