Happy Nurses Day!

The American Nurses Association (ANA) stated 2020 is the year of the nurse, Today is Nurses Day, May 6th, and International Nurses Day is May 12th. I want to wish all my peers and colleagues Happy Nurses Day! Nurses have been deemed hero’s during COVID-19, and it’s appreciated.

Nurses are doing what they do all the time and work in stressful situations and in many cases short-staffed with difficult patients and others that are unappreciative. The pandemic has given the public a glimpse of the healthcare system and the work of those who are in the trenches daily, including physicians, respiratory therapists, housekeeping, and of course nurses.

This poem is dedicated to all the nurses out there, written by my friend and colleague Marjorie McClean RN

Happy and blessed Nurses Day. Ode to a nurse. I am a strong individual who through blood sweet and tears have earned the right to be called to this remarkable profession,

I am a registered nurse. I have stood on the shoulders of various and sundry nurses in this profession and although I may not be Florence Nightingale or Mary Seacole, I bear the brunt of tirelessly working in the trenches for the welfare of my patients.

I may not get hazard pay but the satisfaction I get from seeing someone who was told they have a minimal chance of surviving walking home with their family is more than rewarding.

I am a proud registered nurse, I am not the physician’s helper. I know my scope of practice and function in it every moment of the day. I may not wear a uniform, stethoscope or identification badge hanging from my neck but the badge of honor I wear in my heart and soul, representing this noble profession everyday.

I see my patients through the eyes of a caring, selfless compassionate nurse who refuse to give up or give in when the going is tough.

If you see my clothes soaked in body fluid which is not my own, do not take pity on me. I am protected. I practice extreme measures when it comes to infection control. My garments are impervious.

Assessment, analysis, planning, problem solving are the earmark of my profession. I walk and run immeasurable miles throughout the day ensuring my charge are getting excellent care. Improvising is the order of the day.

My strides down the hall to a waiting patient’s room is that of a gazelle, although the unexpected lay in waiting. I am about to be puked on, clean and collect some fecal specimen, start an intravenous line, clean and dress a wound, administer medication, plan a specialized menus, mop the floor, counsel a distraught patient, find or locate a home for a homeless patient, train a family to care for the discharge patient, and the need is endless in that room.

I do not eat my young, I mentor and train, passing on the knowledge encase in my cranium. Do not look at me with distain at the end of a long arduous day, when I look like a rag doll who have been poked and prodded. I am ready for my second shift, home and family.

Written by Marjorie McClean, RN