Nurses put a tremendous amount of themselves into their jobs, making sacrifices and putting in hard and sometimes tiring work to care for their patients. To Arnese Stern, the director of nursing services at North Valley Hospital in Tonasket, nurses play a particularly special role in health care, as they care for patients throughout the full spectrum of life, caring for babies just after birth and holding the hands of patients at the end of life.
To say thank you, North Valley Hospital is saluting its nurses as part of National Nurses Week, this year from Friday May 6 to Thursday May 12. The week’s events include an ice cream social, candy and gift-giving, games, and a birthday party in honor of Florence Nightingale.
However, the week will culminate with a nurse rededication ceremony May 11, where nurses will come together for a candlelight ceremony to restate the Florence Nightingale Pledge, restating their commitment to nursing. After being welcomed by hospital CEO Mike Zwicker, there will be several speakers to salute nurses, a musical tribute and a pinning to go along with the pledge. Finally, there will be a blessing of the hands, performed by a hospital anesthesiologist. After, all will be treated to h’oeur d’oeuvres and a dessert bar. All nurses are welcome to attend, not just those from the hospital, and many retired and visiting nurses will be in attendance to renew their commitment to the profession.
As health care continues to evolve, the chance to renew this commitment can be powerful, as it echoes the fact that patients will always be at the heart of health care. Nurses play an integral role in so many different settings, offering their services where they are needed. WSHA would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of our state’s nurses and all that you do! (Tim Pfarr)
