Director of the School of Nursing (Lisbon) honoured with the Teaching and Education Award by the Order of Nurses

“Caring for Nurses, Changing the World” was the theme of the meeting where Amélia Simões Figueiredo, Director of the School of Nursing (Lisbon) at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, was awarded the Teaching and Education Prize by the Southern Regional Section of the Order of Nurses.

The ceremony took place as part of the “Healthy Work Environments” Meeting, an initiative dedicated to valuing nursing professionals and promoting more humane, ethical and sustainable working environments.

Unable to attend due to her participation in the Jubilee of the World of Education pilgrimage in Rome, the teacher was represented by her son, José Carlos Figueiredo, who read her message of thanks: "It is with the greatest honour that I receive this award in the field of teaching, and I am grateful for the recognition of the Board of Directors of the Southern Regional Section of the Order of Nurses. (...) Aware that I am a product of my relationship with myself and with others, this recognition is only possible because I have crossed paths with extraordinary people throughout my 43 years of service, 35 of which have been spent teaching.”

In her message, Amélia Simões Figueiredo also highlighted the importance of the various aspects that have marked her career: her family, to whom she dedicated the award, and the academic community: students, teachers, colleagues and clinical supervisors, whom she considers part of a ‘second family’.

‘This public recognition is absolutely motivating for me to continue, until my disengagement, to honour the profession and science of nursing by training nurses capable of changing the world, in healthy environments conducive to global health,’ she concluded.

The Teaching and Education Award was presented by Dora Franco, Chair of the Regional Board of the Southern Regional Section of the Order of Nurses, and by the President of the Order of Nurses, Nurse Luís Filipe Barreira, in a moment of great emotion and recognition for the Professor's contribution to the training of successive generations of nurses.