I Am a Nurse and I Always Will Be

Often described as an art and a science, nursing is a profession that embraces dedicated people with varied interests, strengths, and passions because of the many opportunities the profession offers. When people find out I am a Registered Nurse they often say “oh, you used to be a nurse?”

My response: “No, I AM a Nurse!”

Regardless of where I work, I still maintain my license and am proud of my RN designation. I’ve worked hard for the knowledge and experience I’ve accumulated, not only during school and when I worked on the floor, but in my over 20-years of working in the Long-Term Post-Acute Care Industry empowering nurses to #CareConfidently using PointClickCare Electronic Health Record, to help residents and their caregivers, and ultimately make a meaningful impact on the lives of millions.

I have met hundreds, if not thousands, of nurses all over the world in my career, all of whom, like myself, share a passion for the profession and strong commitment to patient safety. 

In my current role at PointClickCare, I may not be dealing directly with residents anymore, but that doesn’t mean I “used” to be a nurse – I’m a nurse for life! Happy Nurses Week!

This year, American National Nurses Week is themed to recognize the vast contributions and positive impact of America’s 4 million registered nurses with “4 million reasons to celebrate“.

Additionally, Canadian National Nursing Week also lands on May 6 – 12, 2019. The ICN theme is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Health for All”. This theme reflects the fact that every nurse has a story and every story has the potential to improve the health system, enabling individuals and communities to achieve their highest attainable standard of health. 

I encourage all Nurses to please join me in using social media to tell others about the diversity of your role and your nursing story using CNA, IND & ANA hashtags: #voicetolead, #IND2019, #NationalNursingWeek, #nursesweek, and also #ProudPointClickCareNurse  

Also consider posting photos of your nursing artifacts, such as school hats, pins and uniforms, or even better; you wearing all of the above in your social media post and/or in the comments of this SharePoint article!

I appreciate all my fellow nurse co-workers for all that they do for PointClickCare, which ultimately helps our customers to #CareConfidently. Happy Nursing Week!

Background on Nursing Week

In 1971, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) designated May 12, the birthday of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, as International Nurses Day. On this day we celebrate the contribution that nurses make to societies around the world. 

In 1985, Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) began negotiations with the federal government to have the week containing May 12 proclaimed as National Nurses Week annually. Soon after, the federal minister of health proclaimed the second week of May as National Nurses Week. In 1993, the name was changed to National Nursing Week to emphasize the profession’s accomplishments as a discipline. The week draws attention to nurses, increasing the awareness of the public, policy-makers and governments of the many contributions of nursing to the well-being of Canadians.  In 1993, the American Nurses Association (ANA) declared May 6-12 Nurses Week as the national week to celebrate and elevate the nursing profession. Each year, the celebration ends on International Nurses Day.