LAURA Brown has wanted to be a nurse since she was just two years old- or so her mother tells her.

"I was one of the few people who always knew what they wanted to do," she said.

Yesterday, on International Nurses Day, Ms Brown was awarded the 'Peta Award' at the Proserpine Hospital, acknowledging her dedication to nursing.

"I feel very privileged and very honoured to have been given that award," she said.

The award is dedicated to Peta Watson, a nurse of more than 30 years at Proserpine Hospital who passed away unexpectedly.

Peta was a kind, dedicated and considerate nurse and the award is given to a nurse who demonstrates these qualities.

Ms Brown, 57, started her journey as a nurse in 1977 when she began training at Gold Coast Hospital.

A few years later, she went on to work in midwifery, child health nursing and then in community care.

In 1994, she moved to Proserpine where she became the coordinator of Community Healthcare for 10 years and is now a Clinical Nurse Consultant at Proserpine Hospital.

"I was given the opportunity to go full time clinical which is my passion, my area, I love it," she said.

Ms Brown said International Nurses Day was an opportunity to celebrate the special people who are our nurses.

"For me, it means recognising the important role of nurses and it's about recognising the journey nurses have been on," she said.

"It means we all stand together across the whole world and celebrate the caring role that we have and just how far we've come forward."