THE ROLE OF NURSING

  NURSE, HEALER, CAREGIVER

Nurses are valuable and precious.  They play an important role in our society and have done so for centuries.  This is not the first Pandemic, that nurses have had to face but since Covid 19 took hold of the world, nurses have been engaging in some of the most challenging issues of our time.

 Limited resources forced improvisation and many nurses had to continue providing care with inadequate protection for themselves and others. 

 Experienced nurses know how to deal with supply shortages and infection protocol but still get that sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach when they walk into an isolation room. They know the dangers that lie ahead. 

 You are taught, however, throughout nursing school and beyond that, if you do things correctly, there is no a reason to be afraid.  UNTIL  NOW, with this vicious and lethal Virus labeled Covid-19.

In July of 2020, just 6 months into the pandemic, the International Council of Nurses (ICN), estimated that approximately 600 nurses had died from Covid 19.

 More than 3600 U.S health care workers perished in the first year of the Pandemic. according to an investigative article published in the Guardian, “Lost on the Front Line”. It is the most complete accounting of U.S health care workers’ deaths because the federal government has not kept track of this statistic.

Recently, I came across an article detailing the opinion that we should be less focused on nursing frailty caused by the stresses of working in a Covid environment and more on nursing resilience and strength.

 The author opined that focusing on the weakness and frailty of some nurses would cause distrust from the public and other professionals and reduce the number of students looking to join the profession in the future.  I DISAGREE

Nurses are humans. They learn to be resilient and find coping mechanisms but only when given support, leadership, and respect.  Nurses today, especially those on the front lines, truly suffer from PTSD which is caused by exposure to human pain, suffering, and death.  We provide our military with needed support and access to mental health for what they have endured.  We must acknowledge and provide care, support, and professional help to nurses that have been on this front line.  

The face of nursing will be changed going forward. The enemy is not a soldier on a lone battlefield in a distant land, but an invisible menace, right here in our own backyard, It can hide anywhere and can hide within anyone.  

In my opinion, nursing is moving in a new direction but we must have a sense of solidarity for it to move in the right way. Nurses are a diverse group. and many have the confidence to speak out and advocate for themselves and for patients.

 Others, who may come from different backgrounds, often influenced by culture, may not be so willing to demand change. Nurses must stand together and lift each other up.  Demand the praise and honor they deserve for the sacrifices they have made. A renewed sense of solidarity, remembrance  , and respect is critical to a post-pandemic role of nursing