National Nurses Week 2018: Nurses Inspire, Innovate, Influence
The following is a blog written by Janie Heath, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, FNAP, FAANP, dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing, and Colleen Swartz, DNP, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, chief nurse executive and chief administrative officer of UK HealthCare, in honor of National Nurses Week.
As we approach the celebration of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, we hope each of you will take time to reflect on what it means to recognize “the mother of modern of nursing”. Her foundational work in the Crimean War is a direct result of the professional nursing practice and nursing science we embrace today. Thinking of the rich history that our “lady with the lamp” brings us, it is wonderful to see the theme that the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) created this year: Nurses Inspire, Innovate and Influence!
Each of you, in your own way, has gone into our classrooms, our clinical practice settings and our research arenas to provide evidence-based leadership. We invite you to join me in thinking about what “Flo would say” today. Below are a few thoughts we have been thinking about that reflect our commitment for advancing interdisciplinary and inter-professional health education and authentic clinical practice.
- Okay UK nurses, I preached, “wash your hands” over 150 years ago – let’s get this done!
- Thank you UK nurses for bringing pet therapy into the healing and learning environment!
- Thank you UK nurses for integrating mind- body practices into the healing and learning environment!
- Thank you UK nurses for bringing in aroma/plant therapy into the healing and learning environment!
- Thank you for putting your patients first. Ensuring we provide safe patient care with every patient, every time is so important!
- Thank you for being health care advocates! To many of our patients and families, you are their voice. That responsiveness is impactful.
- Okay UK nurses, if I can do statistics – so can you – pursue higher education and advance scholarly practice today!
Florence Nightingale’s signature marks still resonate today, and we thank you for driving those important concepts and for being the innovators, whether you are a master curriculum puzzle-maker, creator of knowledge, driver of scholarly practice, leader or advocate for social justice and equitable health. Because of you, our nursing future is BRIGHT and PROMISING!
THANK YOU for your continued work to Inspire, Innovate and Influence. HAPPY Nurses Week!
