National Nurse’s Week is a time to remember and celebrate the contributions nurses make to our society. During this week, we might hear nice things from patients, doctors, and the administrators of facilities we work for. It’s also really important that we hear nice things from each other. Nurses don’t have to eat their young. We can choose to lift each other up and celebrate the things that make us amazing.
It’s time to remember the nurses in the military serving on the front lines of Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq. Tending to and treating the wounds of war, physical and emotional, and helping our troops transition to whatever their new normal may be – back on the front, or home to wage the new war of learning to live life with their bodies forever altered, our military nurses are there, providing superior care. Too often, military nurses are unsung heroes, but this week, we sing.
It’s time to remember the school nurse, whose day can sandwich a Spelling-Test-It is Epidemic back to back with far more serious concerns. The school nurse is many children’s first line of defense, the only adult committed to their health and well-being. Not a day goes by without a school nurse making a real, meaningful change in a child’s life. Too often, our school nurses are unsung heroes, but this week, we sing.
It’s time to remember the corrections nurse, working in one of the toughest environments imaginable, inside our nation’s prisons and jails. Dealing with the aftermath of inmate’s interactions with each other – and what they do to themselves – adds another level of difficulty to the already challenging work of nursing. Too often, our corrections nurses are unsung heroes, but this week, we sing.
It’s time to remember the nurses working in long term care facilities, nursing homes, and adult living facilities. Providing nurturing, warm care to people as they near the end of life means daily battles with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other cognitive issues. It’s emotionally draining work. Yet the nurses are there, fighting the good fight, helping seniors find smiles – even if it’s by the candle light from a 100th Birthday Cake! Too often, our geriatric nurses are unsung heroes, but this week, we sing.
It’s time to remember the home health nurse, who drives countless miles and visits a dozen different residences daily to provide care to the home bound. The home health nurse isn’t guaranteed a warm reception: they never know what they’re walking into. But they’re prepared to handle it all, whether the patient is experiencing a life threatening health crisis or an exceptionally bad day where they’ve forgotten how one is expected to behave oneself. Too often, home health nurses are unsung heroes, but this week, we sing.
I’ve only begun to scratch the surface here. I’m sure you can think of other nurses I’ve left out, who unfailingly and unflaggingly provide superior patient care under the toughest of circumstances. This is the week to let them know that their efforts are appreciated. Don’t be shy about letting your colleagues know that you admire and appreciate what they do, especially this week. We’re a profession filled with the most amazing (and sometimes amusing) people on the planet. That’s something to sing about!
Happy Nurses' Week to each and every one of you!
Yep, you rock!
