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Nurses are probably the most hardworking and under-appreciated people in healthcare, often working long, physically exhausting shifts with few of the opportunities for advancement, wealth and golf enjoyed by doctors and consultants.

My mum's a nurse, and I've learned that while many nurses experience a deep sense of satisfaction and personal fulfillment in their role, the work they're given is often relatively mundane - changing sheets, emptying bedpans, dressing boring wounds and giving out the same medications day after day.

That's why, on this International Nurses Day, I'm asking you to take a little time and effort to make a nurse's life more interesting, whether it's a nurse at your school or college, at your doctor's clinic or in the Accident and Emergency department (or equivalent) at your local hospital. A few suggestions:

Many people have tried inserting and subsequently losing various objects in their nose, ear or anus, providing hours of entertainment for medical professionals. But the navel or "belly button" is a relatively unexplored area in this field, mainly because it is relatively shallow and therefore provides little challenge in extracting the mislaid item. A dab of superglue will ensure that your toy soldier, coin or handcuff key provides an exciting challenge for a lucky nurse.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, your nurse is probably bored stiff dealing with dull cases of chicken pox, measles and mumps. Why not bring some variety into your nurse's life by catching something more exotic, like Ebola or Congo Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever?

Vomit. Most nurses have been there, done that and cleaned it off their t-shirt. But swallowing a couple of teaspoons of inexpensive food colouring will bring a cheery new hue to your emesis. Show you care, and go the extra mile by colour-coordinating with your nurse's uniform or office carpet.

And if (with a nurse's unerring sense of duty and humility), they try to refer you to a doctor, just say "No. It's International Nurses Day. And I'm here for you."

And that's your Day for today.

Sorry Mum.

Labels: congo crimean haemorrhagic fever, ebola, Emergency department, Health, Health care, infection diseases, International Nurses Day, Nurse, Nursing