As 2020 has been declared Year of the Nurse by the World Health Organization, we would like to take this time to focus on our great nursing staff. They are arguably the most important people in the organization, whether they think so or not. We appreciate the sacrifices they make to take care of us and our loved ones. From working nights and holidays, to being on call and making home visits- they do it all with integrity and courage. They are selfless, caring, innovative, fierce, and much more than we have time to describe. So, nurses, thank you. You do what others cannot, we appreciate you.
With that, BBGH would like to share with you, our community, a little bit more about our nurses. Who they are and why they do what they do.
Meet Erica Smith. Born and raised in Alliance, she attended college in Arizona, but found her way back home after graduating college. Erica worked at Alliance Public Schools before deciding to attend nursing school. “I have always wanted to give back to the community that has always supported me. I found that in nursing.”
Erica’s interest in healthcare started at a young age. The strong desire to take care of others followed Erica into her high school and college years. She found nursing to be the best fit for her to take care of others every day. “I enjoy being a nurse because it allows me the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Surgery can be a scary and vulnerable time for someone. My goal for all patients is to find something that eases that fear. I enjoy being a nurse at BBGH because many of the patients I get to provide care to have given me something over the years and it allows me to give back to them.”
When Erica isn’t taking care of people in Surgery, she can be found spending time with friends and family. In the summer she enjoys being outside playing softball and golfing, and in the winter she enjoys skiing and reading books.
Florence Nightingale, popularly known as the ‘founder of modern nursing’ mentioned in her personal diary in the 1870s, “It will be 150 years to see the kind of nursing I envision.” We hope to continue her vision, 150 years later and 150 years from now. Erica said, “I would like to see nursing change in the next 100 years by allowing nurses to spend more time with patients. Nurses have been pulled in many directions many times that pulls them away from providing care. I hope nursing is able to continue to be the most trusted profession.”
As 2020 continues, keep your nurses in mind. They have families, hobbies, and feelings just like the rest of us. The main difference is they are courageous enough to do what we cannot, or choose not, to do.
