Nurses are the scaffolding of our nation's health, and the foundation of our shared humanity, yet their work is still too often treated as invisible. In this episode we ask, what does it truly mean to invest in nurses, and what's at stake if we fail to act?

Join host Oriana Beaudet, Vice President of Innovation at the American Nurses Association, Credentialing Center, and Foundation for a conversation with nurse leader Pam Cipriano, Immediate Past President of the International Council of Nurses and former President of the American Nurses Association, about why nursing has been systematically undervalued in the U.S., how that shapes policy, economics, and care delivery, and what must change if we are to build a healthier, more humane future. 

Creative expression has powerful effects on our health and well-being, far beyond what we once imagined. In this SEE YOU NOW Insight, drawn from Episode 81: Making Spirits Bright (Part I), Susan Magsamen, Executive Director of the International Arts and Mind Lab at the Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and senior advisor to the Science of Learning Institute at Johns Hopkins University, explores how science is beginning to validate what artists have long known: aesthetic and creative experiences are not luxuries, they are powerful tools for healing.

To listen to this Insight clip's full episode visit SEE YOU NOW Podcast Episode 81: Making Spirits Bright (Part I) and be sure to check out Episode 82: Making Spirits Bright (Part II) as well, at APPLE, SPOTIFY, YOUTUBE, or at your favorite streaming platform.

For more information on the podcast bundles, visit ANA's Innovation Website at https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/innovation/education. 

Have questions or feedback for the SEE YOU NOW team?  Future episode ideas? Contact us at hello@seeyounowpodcast.com. 

Nurses are tackling some of today's most complex challenges. On SEE YOU NOW, you'll meet nurses leading change through powerful stories that approach health and healthcare with curiosity, innovation with compassion, and center the human experience.

In a moment marked by rising geopolitical instability, accelerating climate change, recurring pandemics, and deep economic uncertainty, nursing stands at a critical crossroads. The global nursing workforce is already under severe strain, and the World Health Organization projects a shortfall of approximately 4.5 million nurses by 2030. Yet, even as health needs become more complex, health funding is being reduced in many parts of the world while defense spending rises, deepening the resource constraints facing nurses and other frontline health workers.

So, what does it truly mean to invest in nursing?

For the International Council of Nurses, it means speaking value to power, making the case consistently and convincingly, that nurses are essential to the stability and well-being of individuals, families, communities, and entire nations. It means pushing forward despite workforce shortages, policy barriers, violence, and chronic underfunding. It means dismantling myths and hierarchies and advancing rigorous research to demonstrate the economic and societal return on educating, compensating, and recognizing nurses as the indispensable professionals they are.

In this episode, Oriana Beaudet, VP of Innovation at the American Nurses Association, Credentialing Center, and Foundation, connects with Howard Catton, the Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses, who is driving global efforts to support nurses at the ICN. Together, they explore the inventive strategies, advocacy work, and bold solutions shaping the future of nursing. And talk about what it means to meet global challenges with clarity, commitment, and heart.