HAPPY NURSES WEEK FROM ALL OF US AT FYNI
And what nursing has to do in either case is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him.
Florence Nightingale
It is not just about being celebrated by the world.
Or on social media.
Or by your employer or working institution.
Or your school.
It is also not about highlighting the ongoing problems in the profession.
Or in the healthcare industry at large.
What about yourself?
How are you celebrating the week as a nurse?
Think about it for a quick moment.
Think about your present stage in your career.
Then think about the pandemic.
How it affected things.
And how it affected you, as an individual and as a nurse.
And in your career.
Now back to the question… how are you celebrating the week?
Will you pay attention to it?
Will you take yourself out and get that thing you have always wanted?
Will you look at your goals and dreams once again, and praise your accomplishments?
Or will you let it pass you by? Gather as many extra shifts as possible? Or just glide swiftly through the week without giving yourself enough credit?
“Our job as nurses is to cushion the sorrow and celebrate the job, every day, while we are ‘just doing our jobs.”
Christine Belle
While there are a lot of misguided public perceptions about what the nursing profession truly is and what nurses do, we must recognize our individual strengths and celebrate them.
We are everywhere—the bedrock of the healthcare system. We are there for the first breath and also for the last breath. Sometimes, we give so much of ourselves that it feels like there is nothing left.
But now?
This is the time to do good to yourself. Be kind to yourself. To put yourself first.
This is the time to reflect on what it means to be a nurse. And how you can continue to improve on that.
We are taught to meet patients where they are.
This time, put yourself first.
Irrespective of where you are in your career, irrespective of the work setting, it is essential to welcome the nurse’s week with open arms and feel it all.
Feel the sadness. Feel the grief. Feel the happiness. Feel the thrill. Feel the adrenaline rush. Feel the pain and the tears behind closed doors. Feel the comfort.
Then remember. Remember what it took to get to where you are now.
And then come up with a game plan to do better and be better.
To improve and to push forward.
Remember what nursing means to you and why you chose the profession.
Remember who you are and celebrate yourself for it.
Happy Nurse’s Week.
You have the chance to win an amazing prize in FYNI’s Nurses’ Week Video Challenge
