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 Connie Drew. Connie has been a nurse for 31 years, and has experience in nearly every setting of nursing. She now works in the Special Services Department at BBGH making follow-up calls to numerous patients. She said, “It was the best decision of my life. I love my job and the team of people I work with.” She knew she wanted to go into the medical field in high school, prepared to become a pediatrician. “I went to a Girl Scout wider opportunity and shadowed different physicians. I discovered that it was the nurses who were the ones who care for the crying children and other patients when they needed reassurance and compassion. So, I set out to find a good nursing school, did four years, and received my BSN in 1989,” she said. Connie enjoyed her years as a nurse on the floor, mentioning the challenges but also the rewards. “I admire all nurses! They all work so hard to take the best care of their patients,” she said.
When Connie isn’t at work, she enjoys spending time with her family. They can be found at home playing board games, visiting with family, or at their favorite places to eat. Connie also enjoys cross-stitching, listening to music, and baking and decorating cakes.
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. In reference to that, Connie said, “I would like nurses to be able to spend more time with the patients and less time charting. The human touch is one of the best healers, next to God.”
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.
