Health professionals discussed the role of nurses at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Bucharest during the eighth edition of the National Conference “The Nurse – The Backbone of the Healthcare System.”
The event was organised on May 20 by the Saint Nectarios Post-Secondary Healthcare School together with partner institutions from the medical and educational sectors. This year’s theme was “The Nurse – Strategic Partner of the Medical Team.”
The conference brought together medical staff, teachers, and specialists from institutions in Bucharest and across the country and was held in a hybrid format, with sessions dedicated to both invited lecturers and students from participating schools.
Alexandru Năstase, coordinator of the methodological commission at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Bucharest, highlighted the role nurses play in patient care and recovery.
“We wanted to emphasise that the nurse is not merely an executor, but has an essential role in the patient’s healing process,” he told Trinitas TV.
The mission of the nurse
Elena Liliana Mirea, head of the intensive care unit at the Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital, stressed the practical and human responsibility involved in the profession.
“Doctors think and prescribe things, but the one who puts them into practice is the nurse. Day by day, the nurse keeps a hand on the patient’s pulse.”
Gabriela Șmira, consultant in gastroenterology and internal medicine at Fundeni Clinical Institute, also spoke about the role of nurses within multidisciplinary teams.
“The nurse represents the most important link, the connection between doctor and patient.”
Alexandru Cristea, medical director of the National Institute for Recovery, Physical Medicine and Balneoclimatology, encouraged students to understand that their profession requires more than technical skills.
“They must be empathetic, they must be involved, because they will not work with procedures, but with people.”
The conference was held in two sessions: one dedicated to presentations by invited specialists and another to projects presented by students from participating institutions.
Photo: Trinitas TV / May 21, 2026
