Don't Silence Them. Honor Them.

I bet you read the title and asked, "Who is THEM". Well, I have the simplest answer to the question. I am referring to nurses. Let's look at history. Many of you may be aware of nurses' role in the Second World War. Yes, I took it back to the 1900s. Many women were tasked with saving the lives of soldiers in war zones. Even in the midst of making a positive impact in war conditions, nurses were still not recognized for their hard work. Similar to today, nurses were discouraged and many professionals hesitate to join the profession with poor pay and poor working conditions. By this time, you are feeling like the SEASONED church lady on the front row in church standing up and screaming at the pastor "PREACH! PREACH!" Yeah, I am feeling it too. I am puzzled as to how can individuals who take a great risk to nurture strangers receive so much hate. Does anyone out there have answers?

Class is now in session

Take a seat. Class is now in session. The subject is history, and we have a little more ground to cover. The 2015 Miss America pageant is another time in history when nurses felt disrespected. While reading The Nurses by Alexandra Robbins, I was informed of the moment that Miss Colorado proudly stood up in front of millions of viewers in her scrubs discussing the encounter she had with Alzheimer's patients that create the thought "I am more than JUST a nurse". What a beautiful moment right? While every other contestant is singing, dancing, or doing the USUAL talent, Kelley Johnson thinks outside the box and shows her superpower (being a nurse). Well, The View hosts make jokes and ask, "Why does she have a Doctor's Stethoscope on?" Wow! I am at a loss for words. Women talking down on each other. It's the oldest story in the book. I don't think Raven or Whoopi ever truly apologize for upsetting nurses all over the world, but we all came together united.

Now, these two stories are only a short walk through history. Let's bring it home with this last story. I know we have all experienced providers, administrators, or other authoritative figures that have taken the time to say something to upset us. How many of you have been called to the principal's (your boss) office about a complaint from a patient for being late on pain medicine? Do we apologize for giving priority to the patient that wasn't breathing anymore? How about the providers that find something wrong and yell at you like you are a kid in preschool? Do we just stand there and take it? Most of the time we keep our lips zipped, our heads up, and keep pushing forward. Is it fair? I would say not!!!!! There has been no progress since the 1900s. The profession is still underpaid, overworked, and disrespected.

Nurses United

With all this in mind, I am called back to the reason I created this space for nurses to come together and overcome some of the issues we face in our careers. If you haven't already reviewed what N.U.R.S.E. stands for, I hope you take the time to read some of the old blogs and get involved. I encourage each and every one of you to read, like, comment, and share. There is someone out there that needs this therapy to keep moving forward.

We are at a crossroads in our profession again. It has called us to come together and stand with one another. By this time, almost every medical professional has heard of the United Million Nurse March that will occur in May. This is an opportunity to Stand Together and spread awareness of the hardships nurses face in the healthcare system. We are fighting for better outcomes for nurses. If this is your first time hearing about this March, then I encourage you to take the time to get involved or at least understand what is happening in the nursing profession, because it affects all nurses. Let's stand together and create change. I will be working and cannot participate in the march. However, I hope some of you can be a part of this moment in history when Unity challenges the idea of business as usual. Nurses are ready for change. This is our new beginning, and we have to keep the momentum.

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