HAPPY NURSES WEEK to my peers and colleagues. Another year has passed and hopefully you are as passionate about nursing as you were when you graduated. We often talk about all the care situations we encounter and the difficult patients for whom we care. I find it intriguing that we always come back to the joys of being a nurse and how we provide care, especially to those most in need.
We are skilled and knowledgeable and we work in varied settings and specialty areas of practice. We get to choose where we work and what we do. For those who crave high energy, adrenaline pumping careers, nursing offers us multiple places to practice. For those nurses who feel that bedside nursing is not where they choose to be, they can select from so many other career paths. Besides working and providing direct patient care at the bedside, we also work in labs, in information technology, education, and the list goes on. The most amazing part is that we are still nurses, we always wear that title – NURSE.
I read an article recently where some organizations are trying to become more inclusive and are using nurses’ week to recognize all healthcare personnel. While this is commendable, we need to continue to push that nurses have their time to be recognized. We can remind others that without nurses, care to patients would suffer. We bring a unique body of knowledge to the patients and their families, and those individuals should be recognized for their skills. The reason this week was chosen is because it concludes on the birthdate of Florence Nightingale, who is considered to be the mother of modern nursing. We honor her contributions to the profession and we honor her memory. Let’s keep Nurses Week reserved for nurses.
I hope you are as happy as I am. It has been over 40 years since I passed my state board (now NCLEX) exam and received my RN license. I still have that original license. I take it out occasionally and remain very thankful for the privilege of being a registered nurse. I hope you share that feeling.
Another reminder for nurses, let’s keep ourselves current and competent in our chosen area of practice.
HAPPY NURSES WEEK