Nurse helping up senior

Yes, this is nursing

The desire to help others was what set me on the path to a career in nursing, and frankly, it's a fundamental reason why, decades later, I'm still a passionate advocate for the nursing profession. I'm convinced it's a trait I share with each and every one of you.

We are facing a time of significant change in our health-care system and undertaking changes of this magnitude is not without its challenges. Integral to the success of any change is the efforts of those on the front line who work tirelessly to ensure that no matter how we feel about what is going on - that delivering excellent patient care is at the forefront of everything we do.  The passion and commitment of our nurses within the WRHA is second to none. Underlying that passion and commitment is that same wonderful driving force so eloquently summed up in that one, simple phrase: "I want to help people."

Those are some of the thoughts that came to mind as I contemplated the onset of National Nursing Week, which takes place May 7-13. The theme this year is #YesThisIsNursing. It's a theme chosen in part because it "speaks to the expanding traditional and non-traditional roles, settings and sectors nurses work in." That's certainly apt, and long gone are the days when the term "nurse" held a single, Florence Nightingale-like connotation of the scope of practice available in the profession.  From Licensed Practical Nurses, to Registered Nurses to Registered Psychiatric Nurses, and from the bedside to the executive suite, the opportunities available to today's nurses are virtually limitless. Here in the WRHA, new programs such as Priority Home (to name just one) speak to the ever-increasing variety of options open to newcomers and veterans alike in this dynamic and ever-changing profession.

In these days of collaborative care and interdisciplinary teamwork, nurses are not only a source of well-informed and much-sought expertise, but also a powerful voice for change.  Input from nurses has improved efficiency, corrected an oversight, and made good policy and practice better. As nurses, you have a voice in how we shape the future of our system and I encourage you all to stay informed and continue to share your thoughts and ideas as we work to improve our health system.

Nursing Week allows you an opportunity to take a few minutes to reflect and remember why you chose this profession in the first place, and to consider the positive, daily impact you have on the lives of your patients, their families, and loved ones and the community you serve. To them, you are the face of care. You are the voice of calm, that human touch. You are that much-appreciated and indispensable ally and advocate in what can, at times, be an otherwise intimidating health-care system.

In these days of transformational change, we remind ourselves that no matter our specialty, no matter our site or program or area or responsibility, we are all - each of us - a valued part of the nursing profession that perhaps more than any other, fulfills that simple wish of "I want to help."

I would like to personally thank you for your expertise, commitment and creativity in meeting our community's health care needs. And to our health-care colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to work with you. Together, we provide the best care possible to those we serve.

Yes, this is nursing. And it makes a difference. Let's take pride in that and together celebrate nursing week.

Sincerely,

Lori