Celebrating National Nursing Week

Nursing has been my passion for 20 years. I cannot imagine any other life or profession. Nurses are improving clinical care, leading advocacy work and advancing technological innovation in all practice settings. Every day, we offer solutions to the challenges facing health care in Canada. Celebrate with us. Take a closer look at what we do.

Did you know?

• National Nursing Week is celebrated around the world in conjunction with Florence Nightingale’s birthday May 12th. Florence Nightingale is considered the pioneer of modern nursing.
• Nurses are the largest group of health-care providers in Canada, representing more than one-third of the health-care workforce.
• There are more that 270,000 registered nurses (RNs) in Canada and of these more that 250,000 are working in Canada as nurses.
• The average age of RNs working in Canada is 45.
• The hospital sector annually employs nearly two-thirds (63.2%) of RNs.
• The number of nurses who graduated in Canada in 2006 is the same number as it was in 1986. However, the Canadian population has grown by 24.9% since that time, outpacing the number of graduating nurses.
  
  

Reflections on the Hands of a Nurse-- written by Mark Darby

Let us take a moment to remember our hands. For these are no ordinary hands. These are the hands of a nurse. These hands help us do our work. These hands carry out the skills that make nursing possible.

Let us remember our hands and be grateful for what they do. For the eyes may see, the mouth may speak, but it is the hands that hold, the hands that heal, the hands that give the caring touch.

These are the hands that feel the first breath of a newborn child; These are the hands that feel the last breath of a dying one.

These are the hands that hold a family, who has just lost a loved one; These are the hands that clap for joy at the healing of a disease. These are the hands that insert tubes that bring healing to the body.

These are the hands that touch a forehead and tell, within a degree, normal or febrile. These are the hands that feel a pulse and know fast or slow, weak or strong, effective or for naught.

These are the hands that restrain the angry from self-harm. These are the hands that compress the sternum to bring life.

These are the hands that clean unspeakable places on another person's body but do so with dignity and respect which allow that person to feel like a human being.

These are also the hands of different people not just black or white, brown or yellow but all. These are not the hands of male or female but both.

Other hands may build buildings or write books. Some hands may even pull the trigger or plunge the knife but these are the hands of life.

These are the hands that take up the task passed down from so long ago—to bring healing to the sick, comfort to the afflicted, hope to the hopeless.

But these are not the hands of timid maidens who look for direction outside themselves. These are also the hands that can be clenched because sometimes something has to change. These are the hands of a nurse. These are the hands that have the privilege of being at the bedside.

For these are the hands of a nurse, the hands of a person that does a job that not everyone can do.
These are the hands of a nurse, the hands of strength compassion and love.
These are my hands.

I am kicking off Nursing Week in my shop by saying “Happy Birthday Flo”. I hope we make you proud.
http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/florence_nightingale.htm


Happy Nursing Week!