Happy Nursing Week

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Nurses Week. From May 10 to 14, you may see a lot more chocolate laying around and a few more smiles. There will also be some swag, thanks to the hospital and our union. Most of all, there will be unity.

This is the one week out of the year that we remember that we are all in this together. We remember why we do the things we do... we recall patients of past and tell our own stories. For once, there is someone to listen.

A few of my colleagues have chosen to post the following as their Facebook status (I have corrected the dates):

Right now there is a nurse helping a woman become a mom, a nurse holding the hand of a dying man, a nurse inserting an IV in a child, a nurse listening to an alzheimers patient tell a story of long ago, a nurse missing their family while caring for yours.

In the minute it took you to read this nurses all over the world are
saving lives. May 10-16 is National Nurses week - thank a nurse! Copy and paste... ♥

...And it's true. There is also a nurse holding a family member as they cry for one they have lost, there is a nurse teaching a patient how to administer their own care... a nurse is advocating for his/her patient's right to choose their own treatment and their choice to withold it. A nurse is right now, telling a family that their child can hear them even though they are unconscious. There is also a nurse maintaining the safety of a patient and the safety of others while that person battles with their own demons.

We are the sickest workforce. We are underappreciated and underpaid. Our days can go from angelic choir highs to the depths of depression in seconds. We critically think, health teach, micromanage, multitask, administer, administrate and delegate. We are the complaints department, we are the front line. We help you into this world and we are here when you depart. We work around the clock, we are always tired. We miss so much of our family's time, yet there are days when we just can't go home. We miss meals. We eat too much junk. We are dedicated. We are professionals.

We are nurses.
We wouldn't want any other job.

This week, I want you to thank a nurse for his or her care. If you are a nurse, I want to to thank your colleagues. We have to lift each other up, to support each other in the good times and in the bad.

Happy Nursing Week.
(And feel free to repost)