Nurse's Week 2011

Come and Celebrate Nurses Week!

Now, many of us have been in the hospital for one reason or another. For many, it’s scary and can be viewed as a place of death and illness. I beg to differ, folks. I see it as a place of healing and, in many instances, life. What many do not take notice of are the factors that make such a positive outlook possible, the inner workings if you will. Sure there are the doctors, surgeons, and even the medications that contribute to your health, but how many times have you stopped to take time to appreciate nurses? 

There is an entire week dedicated to the nursing profession, and why not? They tend to our sick and disabled. Without them, the negative perception of a hospital would be all too real. Nurses Week begins on May 6^th and ends on May 12^th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Who is Florence Nightingale? She is the individual who founded nursing as a modern profession. She did so after encountering that the sanitary conditions of military hospitals were unacceptable. Thereafter she appealed to reform not only military hospitals but health care centers in general. By improving sanitation, she was able to reduce the death rate dramatically.  Afterward, she founded and taught within the first secular nursing school in the world.

The reason I talk about nurse appreciation on a blog that focuses on becoming healthier is because it wouldn’t be possible to become healthier without the care and attention of a highly-trained skilled professional such as a nurse. Sure, they wear nursing scrubs, but they know just as much as the doctor does and the doctor usually relies on the nurse for prepping the patient and knowing exactly what to do. What you’ll find is that they not only help us become healthier but also help us to stay healthy through informative as well as educational information about better living: they teach us, all the while healing us. Take part in this national celebration and applaud any nurses you may know. Remember folks, nurses don’t stop once they’ve inserted the IV. You can ask any nurse’s patient, coworkers, even the organization that employs them, it’s about more than the job and title, it’s about people. Before I wrap things up, I’m sure many of you’ve heard the old say “Don’t forget to tip your waitress”, well I say “Don’t forget to appreciate your nurses.”