This is National Nursing Week, running through Sunday (May 17). This year’s theme is Empowered Nurses Save Lives.
The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario advises that this focus sends a clear message that to maximize the full life-saving impact of the nursing workforce, we must empower nurses with safe, fair work environments and full nursing practice, influence, and leadership.
myFM spoke with two individuals at polar opposites of the nursing spectrum.
Kiera Abernethy, a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital. She has been a nurse for five years and enjoys the challenges presented every day while on duty.
Skylar Synesael, meantime, is an RPN not based directly at the hospital. Instead, he is a member of the St. Thomas Police Service mobile team.
Abernethy talks of the satisfaction of interacting with visitors to the department in an effort to determine what they are dealing with and having a positive outcome on the diagnosis.
Her motivation as a young girl for this career path was watching her grandfather and mother deal with breast cancer and so”nursing is where my brain went afterward to do something hands on.”
She has this advice for a young person considering a career in nursing.
The ultimate goal of the Mobile Outreach and Support Teams is to serve as as bridge between law enforcement and mental health treatment services, ensuring that individuals in need receive the necessary support and assistance.
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
The day honors the critical role nurses play in healthcare worldwide and highlights their dedication, professionalism, and impact on patient care.
Written by Ian McCallum
