This year's official annual observance of National Nurse's Week took place from May 6–12. It's a special time when those of us who have made a career in health care step back to appreciate our nurse colleagues for their extraordinary compassion, skill, and dedication.
The American Nurses Association has chosen “Nurses Leading the Way” as this year's theme, and my fellow nurses stand out as leaders in countless ways: embracing new technologies, adapting to ever-changing demands, and developing innovative ways to help our patients recover, stay safe, and look forward to new possibilities they might never have imagined.
More than 3 million nurses in the U.S. work in countless health-care settings where she or he has a unique opportunity to make lasting impacts on the lives of patients and their families.
And those of us who are nurses can definitely remember certain patients and families we took care of where a real and profound connection took place - a connection so powerful it could almost take your breath away.