Nurses Week Roundup

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. These permanent dates enhance planning and position National Nurses Week as an established recognition event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year.

There was much said and written about nurses last week as we celebrated the annual National Nurses Week. ICYMI here are some of our picks for posts you should read.

Nurses: The Unsung Heroes Changing Healthcare
By CAPT Alicia Morton, DNP, RN-BC/Director, ONC Health IT Certification Program
Twitter: @ONC_HealthIT

Nurses are the lifeblood of our healthcare system. Every day throughout the country, dedicated and compassionate nurses are having a positive impact on the health and lives of patients. But that’s not news to anyone! What might be news to most Americans, however, is the critical role that nurses play in revolutionizing our health care system through the adoption and widespread use of technology – particularly EHRs. During this National Nurses Week, I want to highlight the important role nurses provide as they shepherd in the next generation of technology that promotes better, more informed patient care. Read more…

Today’s Nurses: Poised to Fill Needs in Primary Care
By Richard Ricciardi, Ph.D., N.P., Director, Division of Practice Improvement & AHRQ’s Senior Nursing Advisor
Twitter: @AHRQNews

Decades ago, nurses were the main providers of community-based primary care in many pockets of America. This was especially true in rural or inner-city areas, communities that today we might consider medically underserved. It was Lillian Wald, for example, founder of the Henry Street Settlement in1893 in New York City, who established a new role in which nurses provided primary care in community settings – later termed “public health nursing.” Read more…

How new nursing roles are shaping the future of healthcare
By Cathy Turner, BSN, MBA, RN-BC, Associate Vice President, MEDITECH
Twitter: @MEDITECH

When I think about how far we’ve come with providing care across the entire care continuum, it reminds me of one of my favorite documentaries, Remaking American Medicine. One of the patients this PBS series introduces is a woman with multiple chronic diseases. It’s clear how important her community is, in making sure that she and her many caregivers are all on the same page. Read more…

Nurses: The Force for Change
By Aparna Bala, Clinical Transformation Consultant, AirStrip
Twitter: @AirStripmHealth

This week marks National Nurses Week in the U.S., both a celebration of the profession and an opportunity to educate the public about the role nurses play in healthcare and their communities. This year’s theme of “Nurses: Inspire, Innovate, Influence” highlights three concepts that overlap and reflect the innate role nurses play in patient care, as well as drawing attention to the personality types often drawn to nursing. Read more…

How EHRs give time back to nurses
By Cathy Turner, BSN, MBA, RN-BC, Associate Vice President, MEDITECH
Twitter: @MEDITECH

It goes without saying that nurses are busy. Caring for patients and keeping up with documentation (amidst their many other clinical responsibilities) takes up the majority of their time and resources. However, there are tools that nurses should add to their arsenal, that won’t take more time out of their day, but rather, give time back to them. An integrated EHR can help nurses in a variety of ways. You can start putting it into practice from day one with these tools: Read more…