Celebrating Labor Day: Honoring the Dedication of Bedside Nurses
Labor Day, the first Monday of September, marks a time for Americans to celebrate the hard work and dedication that propels our nation forward. While it is a day to appreciate the contributions of all workers, today, we want to shine a spotlight on the nurses who serve our public to maintain safe healthcare and who tirelessly work at the bedside doing so. Much of the public do not understand what nurses really do on a day-to-day basis, and we believe it can be misunderstood when nurses stand up against hospital systems and fight for working rights. In relation, when nurses fight for their working rights, they are additionally fighting for your right to receive quality healthcare that you may need sometime in your life. In many cases, your life could depend on it.
In hospitals across the country, nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare. Their dedication to saving lives often goes unnoticed, but their impact is immeasurable. To truly grasp the significance of Labor Day for the nurses, let's dive into an insightful story of what a Nurse does on the daily basis.
A Nurses Journey: A Tale of Unwavering Dedication
A Nurse's journey to becoming a professional is typically rooted by upbringing and personal experiences. Many times, these personal experiences are either related to their own health difficulties or someone they loved. Additionally, A nurse is typically raised on values that prioritize human well-being and quality of life to achieve happiness. As “cheesy” as it sounds, many nurses are driven to choose a career that makes an impact on someone’s life, such as providing healthcare.
A Nurse's responsibility ingrains societal ethical values such as autonomy (freedom of choice), empathy (deep understanding), and advocation (Encouragement to choose what is right). These values are often referenced to why nurses are called the most trusted profession.
A Nurse’s profession is designed to ensure well-being while providing quality healthcare and protecting the public from poor health outcomes. Below is a short story that describes the day-to-day of a nurse to achieve their professions design.
A Nurse named Sarah understood the gravity of her role as a nurse. She knew that patients trusted her to be their last line of defense, their advocate, and their guardian in the complex world of healthcare. Her job wasn't just about cleaning people, administering medications, and checking vital signs; it was about safeguarding lives to ensure the public does not suffer from adverse medical interventions.
One of the most insightful challenges Sarah faced in her daily work was the battle against time. In the fast-paced environment of a hospital, minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Sarah often had to juggle multiple patients, each with their unique needs and concerns. She needed to be a master multitasker, constantly prioritizing tasks and making critical decisions.
Another challenge was the emotional toll that nursing took on her. Sarah formed deep connections with her patients and their families, and sometimes she had to deliver devastating news or witness patients' suffering. It took immense strength and resilience to maintain her composure and provide the emotional support her patients needed.
But perhaps the greatest challenge of all was being the patient's advocate in a healthcare system that sometimes prioritized efficiency over patient-centered care. Sarah frequently found herself navigating bureaucracy, advocating for additional tests or treatments, and speaking up when she believed a patient's safety was at risk.
Despite these challenges, Sarah, and nurses like her persevered. They were unwavering in their commitment to the public's well-being. They were the voice of reason in a chaotic healthcare landscape, the defenders of patient rights, and the guardians against medical negligence.
Nurses were the ones who ensured that medications were administered correctly, that procedures were carried out safely, and that every patient's unique needs were met. They were the ones who held the healthcare system accountable, striving to prevent medical errors and poor health outcomes.
As Sarah reflected on her journey as a nurse, she realized that the trust patients placed in her and her colleagues was a profound responsibility. Nurses were the most trusted profession because their profession was built on the goal of being the last defense in providing healthcare. They were the ones who stood between patients and the potential pitfalls of a complex system.
In the end, Sarah knew that her purpose as a nurse was not just to administer treatments and care; it was to protect the public from bad healthcare, to ensure that every patient received the best possible care, and to be the unwavering advocate for those in need. And in doing so, she embodied the true spirit of nursing, a profession built on trust, compassion, and the relentless pursuit of better health for all.
When the public views nurses going on strike, it is often mistaken as a selfish act to get more pay or to make their jobs easier. However, the true sense is- if a nurse is advocating for their job to be better-they are advocating for the public for their healthcare to be better. As referenced, a nurse’s job is to protect the public from bad healthcare and to prevent medical errors. If a nurse is fighting to make that better, they are also fighting for you as a citizen who has the right of quality healthcare.
As stated, all professions should be thanked during labor day for keeping the world running. Additionally, we hope to shed light on the support that nurses deserve all over the world for honoring the right of quality healthcare against systems who may not be prioritizing the public’s best safety practices. The next time you see a group of nurses going on strike, we hope you can find understanding and join the movement to make healthcare a better place for all in the world. As that is what nurses are driven to do.
Happy Labor Day to All!
-The Tactile VR Nursing Team
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Written By: Will Kirkpatrick, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CCRN, CSCS Founder of Tactile VR William has worked in many different positions such as an ICU RN, Nursing Supervisor, and Nursing Educator. With his experience, he was able to view healthcare in many different aspects and identify education opportunities towards improving the desperate need of more healthcare workers and education solutions. He is experienced in software development applications that allow VR application creation such as Courseta VR
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