A Celebration of Nursing

Happy Nurses Week!

The annual celebration of the nursing workforce is underway. If you have not had time to bask a little in the week made for the nursing profession, then take a moment now to consider your impact to the profession.

My journey in nursing has now passed into 28 years and I have seen so much change in our profession. The majority has been a fantastic evolution on the care we provide to patients, the education we have dedicated our time, and leadership positions we obtained. As well known, nurses comprise the largest profession providing healthcare in the world. Now that is something to celebrate.

The journey we start on began at nursing school. I had a most unique undergraduate education and one that I am very proud of; it molded me and set me on a firm foundation. There were many educators who had a hand in my education and training. I was fortunate in the past several years to reconnect with several of those nursing heroes who had a hand in my development.

Mrs. Cheri Coleman was my medical and surgical clinical instructor and also my mentor on my senior research paper. Now truth be told, and I recently shared with Mrs. Coleman, I was truly petrified of putting the paper together. It wasn’t the nursing process, the research process, or a topic. It was the actual writing of the paper. Well, I did pass my research paper, in a large part due to the encouragement of Mrs. Coleman. Her patience, support and guidance made the process tolerable and ultimately successful.

Who is your Mrs. Coleman? I am sure like her, and other nursing leaders in your life, you have had a similar experience where someone made a huge impact on your professional journey. And possibly like me, you didn’t realize it till years later. When I began my dissertation journey, I started having those same feelings again, almost 20 years later. I again was impacted by another leader who gave me the same encouragement and support I had received from Mrs. Coleman.

Isn’t it just like nurses to make such a dramatic impact on someone’s life and not know how important they were?

Thank you Mrs. Cheri Coleman!

Thank you to your Mrs. Coleman.

This week is about celebrating nursing and nurses. In my time in nursing, I have been given a carnation, a refrigerator magnet, more cake than I can eat, a pen, and participated in a fashion show. But the most impacting celebrations for me have involved me as a nurse making an impact and highlighting the great things nurses do for patients. These included participating in a junior high job fair highlighting nursing, participating in sample collection for a bone marrow registry, hosting an ambulance demonstration for elementary schools, doing a seminar on eating disorders, and leading a skills lab for nursing students.

Let’s make this week more than just giving each other pens, holding CEU opportunities, or eating cake (ok, let’s eat some cake!!). Nursing and nurses are too important to the future of healthcare. Instead I challenge you with these 4 actions to help celebrate nursing this week:

1. Take Time: Take time this week to positively acknowledge your profession and to share what you are most proud of by being a nurse.
2. Pay it Forward: As part of being a professional, many times accolades deserved do not always happen. You know a nurse who is worthy of being thanked. You know a nurse who diligently practices the profession without any acknowledgement or reward. So find that nurse this week and thank them for their nursing!
3. Thank an Educator: We are all a product of our education. Nursing educators hold those gentle new nursing hearts in their hands and delicately make us stronger and prepare us for what is going to happen in the future. Take time this week to thank an educator who was impactful to your education.
4. Don’t Wait: Remember to celebrate your nursing all year long. Identify and recognize your colleagues regularly. It can be formal or informal. Recognition is a powerful leadership tool which can change the work place and attitude of a unit. There is never a wrong time to celebrate those who are doing great nursing!

This week that culminates on 12 May is for all nursing personnel. Take a moment and follow these 4 actions to celebrate the nursing profession. And continue till next May 6th….and beyond!

Leading with you!

Dean

Leadership is an active sport!

Share this with a colleague. “Like” us and visit us on Facebook and at RN2Leader.com!