“Every patient deserves a nurse.” You can find that statement in many promotions and publications in health care, beginning with an ad campaign by the American Nurses Association in the 1990s. Personally, I think every family needs a nurse, every school needs a nurse, every physician needs a nurse, every politician needs a nurse, and every community needs nurses involved in planning and making key decisions for the full continuum of patient care.
And so, we celebrate Nurses Week annually on Florence Nightingale’s birthday – May 12. It is no accident that National Hospital Week also falls on her birthday, because she is credited with applying scientific principles to humanitarian causes. Grounded in both science and caring, nurses are positioned to contribute to solving the enormous dilemmas we face as a nation in financing, and providing safe and high quality care.
There is no doubt that nurses are trusted to care. We have a longstanding reputation of trust.
According to the recent Gallup Poll, “Nurses continue to outrank other professions in Gallup’s annual Honesty and Ethics survey. Eighty-one percent of Americans say nurses have "very high" or "high" honesty and ethical standards, a significantly greater percentage than for the next-highest-rated professions, military officers and pharmacists.”
What is sometimes less recognized about nurses is our intellectual capacity and unique role in the scope of health care. We are keen observers of human behavior and physiological changes. We are the capable voice for even the most educated members of society when they become “patients.” We are planners and coordinators of complex programs and services. We determine the volume and intensity of nursing care that is required in every setting where nursing is provided. We understand the business of health care and the national agenda.
I’m struck at this time and place about the complexity that is posed by the shrinking resources and the increasing demands for care. Jackson Health System is unique in Miami-Dade County because of our mission to serve all, regardless of ability to pay.
Nurses are at the heart of the pressures imposed on shrinking resources and increasing demand. The need for service is rising as our population ages along with chronic illnesses. Most patients arrive with not a single diagnosis, but with co-morbidities that nurses must manage continuously – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – while specialists come and go. The demand for the presence of highly-skilled nurses is only going to increase. According to the Florida Center for Nursing, there will be an estimated shortage of 50,000 RNs in the state by 2025.
The squeeze for finances is tightening around our discipline and its commitment to all who require health care. The first statement in the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses reads, “The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.”
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At Jackson, we have a special window on the world of health care. As David Sydney, R.N., B.S.N., who works in the JHS Infusion Center, has said, “We have kings and queens, regular everyday people, and those who cannot afford care from anywhere else.” Nurses respect all who seek our care, and Jackson is the hospital for every person in Miami-Dade County.
Nurses Week is our time to celebrate our past contributions to care and our commitment to the future. We can be trusted to care, to collaborate, and to build a vibrant health care future for all.
Happy Nurses Week!