Patients often recognize that a nurse is the health
care professional with whom they and their families have the most direct
contact. But they might not realize that nurses also are leaders in improving
the quality of care and expanding access to care. That’s why May 6-12 is
celebrated as National
Nurses Week, an annual opportunity for communities
to recognize the full range of nurses’ contributions.
This year’s theme, “Nurses: Leading the Way,”
recognizes nurses as leaders at the bedside, in the boardroom, throughout
communities and in the halls of government. The public holds nurses in high
regard and trusts them to advocate for patients. For the past 12 years, the public has
ranked nursing as the top profession for honesty and ethics in an annual Gallup
survey.
Beginning with National Nurses Day on May 6, nurses
are being honored as leaders who improve the quality
of health care. Nurses practice in diverse roles, such as clinicians, administrators,
researchers, educators and policymakers.
“All nurses are leaders, whether they are in direct
patient care, administrative roles, or meeting consumers’ needs in new roles
such as care coordinators or wellness coaches,” said ANA President Karen A.
Daley, PhD, RN, FAAN. “This week, we acknowledge nurses’ vast contributions and
how they are leading the way in improving health care and ultimately, the
health of the nation.”
Nurses are leading initiatives to increase access to
care and improve outcomes by focusing on primary care, prevention, wellness, chronic
disease management and the coordination of care among health care providers and
settings. These are areas in which
nurses excel given their education and experience.
As the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented,
nurses will be more crucial than ever, leading efforts to expand primary care
at community-based clinics and deliver more efficient and cost-effective care
as members of collaborative health care teams. Consider that:
- Nursing is
the nation’s largest health care profession, with nearly three million employed
professionals.
- Nursing is
projected to grow faster than all other occupations: The federal
government projects more than one million new RNs will be needed by 2022
to fill new jobs and replace RNs who leave the profession.
- Demand for
nursing care will grow rapidly as Baby Boomers swell Medicare enrollment
by 50 percent by 2025 and millions of individuals obtain new or better
access to care under the health care reform law.
- Nurses are
rapidly creating and expanding new job roles – such as nurse navigators,
care coordinator specialists, and nurse wellness coaches -- to help
patients secure resources, obtain seamless comprehensive care, and develop
healthy lifestyle practices.
Wherever health care is provided, a nurse is likely
to be there -- hospitals, ambulatory care centers, private practices, retail and
urgent care clinics, nurse-managed health centers, homes, schools, nursing
homes, and public and nonprofit agencies.
Increasingly, nurses with advanced degrees, such as
nurse practitioners, are providing primary care services and managing chronic
illnesses. Studies show patients are highly satisfied with their services and
are experiencing outcomes comparable to those of physician services.
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Note
to Editors/Reporters: National Nurses Week is celebrated annually by professional
associations, health care facilities, governments, and communities from May 6
(National Nurses Day) to May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the
founder of modern nursing. In 2014, the American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes
“Nurses: Leading the Way.” ANA encourages
publication of this article, or excerpts with your own local adaptation, to inform
your audience about nurses’ roles as leaders in enhancing health in your
community.
------------------------------------------------------For more information:
Karen Weido
870-235-3212
kweido@magnoliarmc.org
