Nurses Appreciation Week was acknowledged in San Quentin, honoring the nurses in a weeklong celebration, which began on May 6 and ended on May 12, in recognition of the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the iconic founder of the nursing profession.
“We are rewarded with ‘goodies’ [depending on each department] and given ‘coodles’ for our outstanding performances,” said R. Kaur, LVN .
The celebration of National Nurses Week is to observe and recognize their invaluable contributions and their sacrifice and service.
Nurses around the world perform all sorts of tasks, ranging from filling out important paperwork to giving intensive care. Sometimes San Quentin’s nurses have to deal with incarcerated residents being argumentative and belligerent, sometimes both at the same time. SQ’s Healthcare department does show appreciation for its nurses, acknowledging them for their calm, cool, and collective demeanors in their daily practices.
The report “Why Do We Appreciate Nurses?” written by Jacky Habib, a freelance journalist, stated that nurses are the unsung heroes of the healthcare industry. Habib noted that nurses’ contributions to the healthcare industry and society often go unnoticed and unappreciated. Her presentation for why people admire and respect nurses highlights their compassion for well-being of others and in preserving life. In one paragraph in the article, Habib described nurses as, “the ultimate lovers of humanity.”
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse,” said Florence Nightingale.
Nurses have been described as having tireless dedication, compassion, and expertise impacting countless lives every day. Nurses provide hands-on care, comfort, and emotional support to patients and their families. Nurses are also considered to be the heartbeat of healthcare institutions. Whether in hospitals, clinics, or homecare settings, nurses have been documented to play pivotal roles in promoting healing and wellness.
There are many ways nurses are shown gratitude. One such method is known as the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award. Bonnie Barnes co-founded the DAISY Foundation after losing her son Patrick. The Barnes family created The DAISY Award to thank nurses for their exemplary work, according to an article, Beyond Thank You: The powerful reach of meaningful recognition by Cindy Lefton.
Lefton is the vice president of organizational consulting for Psychological Associates and a clinical education specialist for trauma and acute care surgery for the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Nearly 1,700 healthcare organizations across the globe are currently using The DAISY Award to recognize their extraordinary nurses. Patients, family members, and colleagues get to nominate nurses to receive the award. According to the article, about 400,000 nurses have been nominated for The DAISY Award and more than 40,000 nurse honorees have been recognized for their extraordinary nursing.
Lefton research has demonstrated that meaningful recognition can positively impact individuals and organizational cultures. Using The DAISY Award, Lefton described how recognizing the impact nurses have boosted morale and reinvigorated their work drive and spirit.
The article titled “The Heartfelt Importance of Recognition and Appreciation in Nursing,” by Ray Washington, founder of America Needs Nurses, stated that nursing is not a profession, but rather it is a calling, requiring nurses’ dedication in caring for people. It also spoke of the demanding and oftentimes emotionally challenging aspects of the nursing career.
The report “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030” report, authored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, outlined a vision for nursing in the coming decade. According to the report, nurses must address health disparities, embrace technology, and advocate for equitable care. The authors emphasized the need for nurses to collaborate with other professionals and community organizations to reduce disparities and promote health equity.
The American Nursing Association (ANA) has a list of four competencies that qualify nurses to perform their tasks effectively. These traits are effective communication, empathy, critical thinking, and integrity. The ANA goes on to state that these traits allows nurses to perform at their best in providing high-quality medical care, build trust with their patients, and help them transition through complicated medical situations in a proficient manner.
Maggie Holland wrote in “Nurses Reflect on What They’re most Grateful for About the Profession,” she interviewed five nurses to weigh in on their opinions concerning their profession. Holland stated how Nurse K. Brazaski, founder of Redwood Executive Coaching – a nursing and healthcare executive for three decades, found inspiration everyday as a bedside nurse by seeing the fragility and preciousness of life, which served as a constant reminder that she was there to help make differences in the lives of the people she treated.
The celebration of nurses is to be mindful and to express gratitude for the services and dedication to people’s wellness. A simple thank you can be uplifting to nurses. The San Quentin population sends their appreciation to the nurses with whom they interact. The SQRC nurses’ dedication saves lives and their compassion heals.
Acknowledging nurses’ commitments is to honor and celebrate their remarkable contributions. Celebrating nurses is a way of recognizing their empathy, integrity, and other remarkable quality traits. Their exemplary service and dedication serves the overall wellness of everyone in their care.
