6th May heralds the arrival of National Nurses Week, so we take a look at the nursing profession
Nurses across the country are being celebrated this week, as National Nurses Week commenced yesterday, applauding the hard work and dedication of Britain’s nurses. Patients and staff alike are encouraged to get involved and share their stories of excellent nursing, with the week fittingly finishing on nursing icon Florence Nightingale’s birthday on the 12th May. Royal College of Nursing’s President Andrea Spyropoulos even strives for Nurses’ Day to be as big a celebration as Valentine’s Day.
“Nurses’ Day gives us a fantastic opportunity to stand up and shout about what nursing means to us; why we joined the profession, and why we continue to work tirelessly for our patients regardless of the additional pressures put on us. It gives patients a chance to publically say thank you, and for nursing staff to have a platform to be proud about their work,” she explained.
Being a modern nurse
Despite there being a fantastic range of diversity and skills in the nursing profession, unfortunately stereotypes can sometimes still rear their heads. Emergency nurse Lou Davis comments on the preconceptions that all nurses are either female, homosexual men or failed doctors. Wrong – nurses actually form the largest group of staff within the NHS and can work in a variety of places, from accident and emergency departments to a patient’s home.
There are also just as many specialities available for nurses as there are for doctors, for example mental health nurses or children’s nurses. “Nursing is a great career. One of the major reasons is the diversity it offers. As a nurse you can work in hospital, you can work in home care, you can work in an insurance agency, a law office, a doctor’s office, there are so many choices once you become a nurse,” said Cindy Samborski, nurse and author.
Barbara Summers, a nurse with 30 years of experience, says on community website Quora “Nursing has, for me, been a most rewarding professional career. I have been allowed to share the most intimate of life’s moments with others – and I believe that I have made those moments better for my presence and nursing care.” Lou Davis agrees, saying that the work is hugely satisfying. “Patients arrive through our doors desperately ill/ injured and through our efforts many of these survive to lead normal lives with their nearest and dearest.”
Nurse Brittany Wilson explains “Being a nurse is an adventure. For most of us, no two dates are alike and it’s always a challenge,” while Kelly Stclair describes a nurse as “A team player who is not afraid to be a patient advocate.”
Following Florence’s footsteps
Labour and delivery nurse Kathy Hurst Davis emphasises that communication is a vital skill for any nurse. “A great nurse is a professional who arrives on shift with the idea that the job of the day is to make sure that the patients that are being cared for are going to be better off because of the things that are done for them by all involved. A great nurse is a great communicator.”
Jane Cummings, Nursing Director for NHS England, has also spoken about the value of communication in nursing, when she launched her Compassion in Practice campaign in December 2012 for nurses, midwives and care staff. The scheme focuses on the six ‘c’s’ – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment – aiming to put great care at the centre of the NHS.
However, don’t be fooled that nursing is an easy option when looking at healthcare careers – shifts are often 12 hours long and over a mix of hours, across days and nights. “It can be extremely stressful. Not only because of a genuine feeling of fear/ worry for the wellbeing of our patients but also because of the pressure brought to bear on us – from patients, relatives, hospital management etc.” Ms Davis confides.
Despite this, the majority of nurses are wholeheartedly passionate about their work, with anecdotes about their work flooding in to celebrate National Nurses Week, many being posted on the RCN website for all to read. Nurse Caroline Bayley is one such inspirational story, as watching the nurses who cared for her sister with leukaemia drove her to pursue her own career in nursing.
She said “Nursing is not only career but a vocation; I wouldn’t change it for the world. I enjoy going to work every day, no day is the same, and no matter how busy it can be everyone pulls together and looks out for one another. Seeing our patients go home with a smile on their face and hearing those little words ‘thank you’ makes everything so worthwhile.”
