In honor of the dedication, commitment, and tireless effort of the nearly 2.7 million Registered Nurses nationwide to promote and maintain the health of this nation, the American Nurses Association and Always Victoria are proud to recognize registered nurses everywhere on this particular day for the quality work they provide seven days a week, 365 days a year but let me not stop with Registered Nurses let me recognize ALL Nurses and it should be everyday not just today we recognize honor them.

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

Facts

Did you know…?

* There are nearly 2.7 million registered nurses in the United States. And, 2.2 million of them are actively employed.

* National Nurses Week has a distinctive history.

* The American Nurses Association was founded in 1896

* Isabel Adams Hampton Robb was the first president of the American Nurses Association

* As of November 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than one million new nurses will be needed by the year 2010. The report projects that total employment will increase by 22.2 million jobs during the 2000-2010 period, rising to 167.8 million. Health care practitioners and technical occupations are expected to account for 1.6 million new jobs during that period. Registered nurses, which represent the largest occupation in this group, should account for more than a third of those new jobs.

* The nation’s registered nurse (RN) workforce is aging significantly and the number of full-time equivalent RNs per capita is forecast to peak around the year 2007 and decline steadily thereafter, according to Peter Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University’s nursing school. Buerhaus also predicted that the number of RNs would fall 20 percent below the demand by 2010. (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 14, 2000)

* There are over 196,000 advanced practice nurses in the United States. Of these, approximately 88,100 are nurse practitioners, 54,300 are clinical nurse specialists, 14,600 are both nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, 9,200 are nurse midwives, and 29,800 are nurse anesthetists.

* The Congressional Nursing Caucus - a bi-partisan initiative, founded by U.S. Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Ed Whitfield (R-KY), with 56 congressional members — was formed in March 2003. The purpose of the caucus is to educate Congress on all aspects of the nursing profession and how nursing issues impact the delivery of safe, quality care. The caucus was formed after consultation between congressional leaders and ANA. (See ANA press release at for details.)

* Research indicates that advanced practice nurses can provide 60 to 80 percent of primary care services as well as or better than physicians and at a lesser cost.

* 49 states and the District of Columbia allow advanced practice nurses to prescribe medications.

* The January 5, 2000, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported the results of a study which revealed patients fared just as well when treated by nurse practitioners as they did when treated by physicians.

* The nation’s nurses rank first for their honesty and integrity, with 83 percent of Americans rating them “high” or “very high,” according to a 2003 CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Nurses have consistently rated first every year but one after being added to the list in 1999.

* The American Nurses Association consists of 54 state and territorial associations, whose mission is to work with ANA’s Associate Organizational Members (AOMs) and Organizational Affiliates for the improvement of health standards and availability of health care services for all people, foster high standards for nursing, stimulate and promote the professional development of registered nurses, and advance their economic and general welfare.

* A study, published Sept. 23, 2003, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and conducted by Linda Aiken of the University of Pennsylvania, determined that the educational level of RNs working in hospitals has a significant impact on whether patients survive common surgeries. The study probed the impact not only of the numbers of RNs providing bedside care, but how the educational preparation of RNs impacts patient mortality. Among the study’s most significant findings: that raising the percentage of RNs with bachelor’s degrees from 20 percent to 60 percent would save four lives for every 1,000 patients undergoing common surgical procedures.

* A study on the nursing shortage by Linda Aiken of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing found that an estimated 20,000 people die each year because they have checked into a hospital with overworked nurses. The study also found that Americans scheduled for routine surgeries run a 31 percent greater risk of dying if they are admitted to a hospital with a severe shortage of nurses. That’s approximately one-fifth of the up to 98,000 deaths that occur each year as a result of medical errors. Nurses in the study cared for an average of four patients at a time, with the risk of death increasing by about 7 percent for each additional patient cared for over that baseline number. (Source: “Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction,” study; Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 23-30, 2002.)

* The link between adequate and appropriate nurse staffing and positive patient outcomes has been shown in several ANA publications and studies, including ANA’s Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes in Inpatient Hospital Settings. This report, published in May 2000, found that shorter lengths of stay are strongly related to higher RN staffing per acuity-adjusted day and that patient morbidity indicators for preventable conditions are inversely related to RN skill mix.

* A 2001 ANA Staffing Survey revealed that America’s RNs feel that deteriorating working conditions have led to a decline in the quality of nursing care. Specifically, 75 percent of nurses surveyed felt the quality of nursing care at the facility in which they work has declined over the past two years, while 56 percent of nurses surveyed believe that the time they have available for patient care has decreased. In addition, over 40 percent said they would not feel comfortable having a family member or someone close to them be cared for in the facility in which they work, and over 54 percent would not recommend the profession to their children or their friends. These statistics reveal a disturbing trend.

* America’s registered nurses report that health and safety concerns play a major role in their decisions to remain in the profession, according to findings from a Health and Safety Survey released in 2001. In the survey, over 70 percent (70.5 percent) of nurses cited the acute and chronic effects of stress and overwork as one of their top three health and safety concerns. Yet nurses continue to be pushed harder — with more than two-thirds reporting that they work some type of unplanned overtime every month.

* The American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program offers guidelines designed to shift hospital administrators’ focus from expensive, short-sighted recruitment efforts to meaningful retention strategies. Hospitals that have been designated as “magnets” have been found in studies to attract and retain professional nurses who experienced a high degree of professional and personal satisfaction through their practice. Currently, 101 hospitals and long-term care facilities have been awarded “magnet” recognition, but the essential “magnet” criteria can be used by nurses and administrators to assess their own facilities for improvements.

* A study conducted by the Nursing Credentialing Research Coalition found that certification has a dramatic impact on the personal, professional and practice outcomes of certified nurses. Overall, nurses in the study stated that certification enabled them to experience fewer adverse events and errors in patient care than before they were certified. Additional results revealed that certified nurses:
o expressed more confidence in detecting early signs of complications;
o reported more personal growth and job satisfaction;
o believed they were viewed as credible providers;
o received high patient satisfaction ratings;
o reported more effective communication and collaboration with other health care providers; and
o experienced fewer disciplinary events and work-related injuries.

Now some special poems for ALL Nurses those working and not working…if you know a nurse take time to let them know you appreciate them.

A Nurses Prayer

Give me strength and wisdom,

When others need my touch;

A soothing word to speak to them,

Their hearts yearn for so much.

Give me joy and laughter,

To lift a weary soul;

Pour in me compassion,

To make the broken whole.

Give me gentle, healing hands,

For those left in my care;

A blessing to those who need me

Being a NURSE means……

You will never be bored.

You will always be frustrated.

You will be surrounded by challenges.

So much to do and so little time.

You will carry immense responsibility and very little authority.

You will step into people’s lives and you will make a difference.

Some will bless you. Some will curse you.

You will see people at their worst-and at their best>

You will never cease to be amazed at people’s capacity for love, courage, and endurance.

You will see life begin-and end.

You will experience resounding triumphs and devastating failures.

You will cry a lot. You will laugh a lot.

You will laugh a lot.

You will know what it is to be human and to be humane.

The Prayer….

The Lord had played His part,
Planting seeds of love and kindness
In the portals of your heart.
For it’s clear that you’ve been gifted
With a sympathetic ear,
And blessed from the beginning
With a willingness to cheer.
And the people who you care for
Are better off by far,
When they’re touched by your compassion,
By the person that you are.
For in times of woe and worry
When they’re frightened or they’re blue,
No one could be more consoling than the friend they’ll find in you.

Be…

Be me in the world.
Be my voice to the deaf.
Be my faith where there is doubt.
Be my hope where there is despair.
Be my light where there is darkness.
Be my joy where there is sadness.
Be me in the world.

Be my eyes to the blind.
Be my consolation to those who need to be consoled.
Be my understanding to those who need to be understood.
Be my healing to those who need to healed.
Be my love to those who need love.
Be my forgiveness to those who need to be forgiven.
Be my death to those who need me.
Be me in the world.

So to the Nurses who might read this Thank you for all you do .