It’s hard to think of where residents of Manchester and elsewhere would be without our nurses. This very skilled, compassionate, and caring occupation plays a very important role in every aspect of our health and wellness, from basic care to palliative care to hospice care.
Nurses are in demand at Above and Beyond Home Health Care and Hospice since our nurses are responsible for helping improve the quality of life and the quality of care of all of our clients and provide care for those who enjoy their independence and ability to remain at home.
Nurses are also always needed and appreciated in all sorts of workplaces and environments, from clinics and hospitals to home health centers that send trained nurses into homes around the region.
We welcome all levels of nursing training and certifications, including RNs and LMTs, since we know that people with these designations have successfully demonstrated they have earned a certain level of training that will allow them to provide different levels of care.
Some of the nurses in our organization have been working for us for years, others have joined more recently. We’re also always on the lookout for other quality candidates, and we also always like to recognize the important role of our nurses. They often deal with long hours, challenging situations, and clients who are in pain or aren’t always in a great mood.
Some of our hospice patients may also present unique challenges to our nurses as well – it can certainly be a rewarding experience to be able to spend time with clients in their final days and their families, and everyone appreciates our support and presence in these difficult circumstances. But it can be stressful as well.
The nursing profession truly has room for everyone, whether someone enjoys working with the same patients for a long period of time like at a home or an assisted living community, or a place where the patients change regularly, like at a hospital or medical center.
Some like a fast pace and high pressure where lives are literally on the line and others prefer something with a slower pace where less critical care is generally needed. Nurses can be found in schools, in the military, in private clinics, public hospitals, and more. Some nurses are also involved in outreach, training, and education, including sharing their valuable skills with future or newer nurses so their important knowledge continues to be passed on.
Time to celebrate
We’re not the only ones who appreciate and recognize the hard work of our nurses.
The American Nurses Association encourages the public to provide encouragement and support all year long, but especially so during the month of May.
May 6-12 has been designated National Nurses Week every year. It’s an excellent time for people to celebrate the role of nurses and also for those in the industry to take pride in their career choice.
Nurses have been a part of many cultures to some degree for hundreds and hundreds of years, but the role of the modern nurse only goes back to the late 19th century, when Florence Nightingale, serving as a nurse during the Crimean War, instituted firm policies of handwashing, sanitation, and other protocol to reduce infection. These efforts dramatically reduced rates of death from battlefield wounds.
She has become the unofficial patron saint of modern nurses, and because of this, her birthday, May 6, has been declared National Nurses Day as well as the traditional start of National Nursing Week activities.
Nurses Day was actually made official by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954, and President Richard Nixon made the full week official 20 years later. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan declared National Recognition Day for Nurses in May.
Within the week-long focus, there are various daily celebrations for different groups within the nursing communities, such as one day to celebrate RNs, one day to recognize school nurses, and another day to try to inspire students in the process of training to become future nurses.
All of these proclamations recognize the hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and skills of all of our nurses, along with their value and importance to our society. Local medical programs are encouraged to find ways to recognize them as well.
The need grows
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 3.059 million registered nurses in the U.S. as of 2018, and the number is expected to jump dramatically in the next decade, with a projected job rate increase of 12 percent by 2028 or more than 371,000 new positions expected by 2028.
Nurses are rightly included among the “heroes” in the COVID-19 pandemic due to their service to patients and staff, and also taking the lead in educating and enforcing new safety protocols that, while unusual, are helping protect as many people are possible.
While people are encouraged to recognize them in May, the appreciation should continue all year.
