Ask a nurse why they chose this field, most will say “I wanted to help people”. This choice has never been more important in our lifetime than it is right now. During these last several weeks, we’ve heard nurses referred to as: heroes without capes, rock stars, and miracle workers.
It takes a certain kind of person to become a nurse. They must sacrifice – give up time spent with their own family to spend it with a stranger who is ill, injured, or dying. They must be dedicated – they are continuously learning, improving, and mentoring others.
This year’s theme for Nurses Week (May 6-12) is ‘Year of the Nurse,’ how appropriate. “Nurses are the heart of healthcare. They are the patient’s advocate while artfully balancing the needs of their family, physicians, and other clinicians. This takes devotion. Our nurses cannot promise to fix all of your problems, but, they can promise you won’t have to face them alone”, says VNA & Blue Water Hospice Vice President of Clinical Operations & COO Stacey Lambert, RN, BSN, MSN-Ed.
The leadership of Visiting Nurse Association and Blue Water Hospice is thankful for the entire nursing staff – RNs, LPNs, and CENAs –they are truly rock stars. The nursing staff within an organization such as VNA & Blue Water Hospice is a different kind of nursing. They typically spend quite a bit of time with their patients through weekly visits in their home or caring for them 24/7 in the Blue Water Hospice Home.
At VNA & Blue Water Hospice…
- We have nurses that provide comfort and dignity to the dying.
- We have nurses who treat illness and injury.
- We have nurses who listen, care, and counsel.
- We have nurses who educate patients, families, and communities about maintaining their health.
- We have nurses on-call who wake up in the middle of the night to manage a patient’s need.
- We have nurses that weather the storm, dare to drive in risky weather conditions just to make sure their patient is provided for.
- We have nurses that feed their patients before they feed themselves.
During this Nurses Week, we at VNA & Blue Water Hospice thank you for all you do. We appreciate the sacrifices you make and your dedication to patients… we can’t do it without you!