America's Nurse

[Snowden]

May 20, 2005
America's Nurse

By TERI MILLS
Portland, Ore.

SO, national nurses' week has come and gone and what happened? Nothing, despite estimates that by 2020 there will be 400,000 fewer nurses than are needed in this country. Drastic action is required. And here's the action I suggest: dethrone the surgeon general and appoint a National Nurse.

Here's why. Prevention is the best way to lower health care costs. If people take care of themselves and don't get sick...well, you know the rest. And who better to educate Americans on how to take better care of themselves than nurses?

After all, nurses are considered the most honest and ethical professionals, according to a recent Gallup poll. It's the nurse whom the patient trusts to explain the treatment ordered by a doctor. It is the nurse who teaches new parents how to care for their newborn. It is the nurse who explains to the family how to comfort a dying loved one.

Meanwhile, the surgeon general, the nation's head doctor, is all but invisible. If you went to a supermarket and asked 10 people the surgeon general's name or to describe his or her role, it's unlikely that you would find anyone who could. (It's Richard H. Carmona, by the way.)

Now, I'm not saying that a National Nurse will become a household name immediately. But given all that's at stake - the health of a nation - and given the surgeon general's inability to connect with Americans, it seems to me that we should at least give nurses a try.

Here's what I'd have the National Nurse do. She or he would highlight health care education through 15-minute weekly broadcasts that would also be available on the Internet. The emphasis would be on prevention: how to have a healthy heart; how to raise your teenagers without going crazy; how to avoid being swept into the growing tide of obesity.

The Office of the National Nurse would yield benefits in a multitude of ways. The informational programs would decrease dependence on a health care system that is not only expensive but at times inaccessible, especially for those who lack insurance or live in rural areas. Through the office, nurses could sign up for a National Nurse Corps that would organize activities to enhance health in their communities. A National Nurse would give public recognition to the valuable work that nurses perform each day; if we're lucky, the National Nurse would help stem the nursing shortage by attracting people to the profession.

A National Nurse won't solve all of our country's health care problems, but one would definitely improve the situation. America has a history of honoring great nurses - from Clara Barton to Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail. Isn't it time we did so again?

Teri Mills teaches nursing at Portland Community College.

The New York Times Company

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/op...html?th&emc=th

[JohnRN]

Ahhh! If only I can live to see this day!

We can't even get mandated staffing levels in hospitals - let alone effect policy for the entire country!

We have a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go.

[sfga6970]

Nurses are the underappreciated health care professionals. My hat is off to them. Nurses are vital to our health care system and they should be given more recognition for the the services that they provide.

[JohnRN]

I agree sfga

Dedicated To The Man I Never Knew©
I work at Good Samaritan (Dayton, Ohio) on the neurology unit. I love your site. You have done a wonderful job. Thank you for sharing with us. Here is a poem I have written.

By Pauline Hamblin

As I tend to you, in your death.
I feel I know you, by those you left.
You must have been, a wonderful man.
The strengh and character, of your clan

I see love, deep in their eyes.
The pain they feel is no disquise.
The gentle way , they touch your hand.
As you are drifting, to the promised land.

Your children talked, of being raised.
Respect and devotion, lived at your place.
Grateful to God, they appeared to be.
Happy to be a part of your family.

Your wife's heart, is beating loud.
Tears well up, her eyes did cloud.
Unable to speak, she begins to cry.
Begging to God, to not let you die.

So you see, my friend, this life is past.
But the values you left, will always last.
Though I never knew you, I know you well.
Your life, your love, their eyes did tell.

Dedicated to the patients that I have attended to over the years.
Although I might not know them when they first arrive the love and
devotion of their families tell their true story. Regretfully not all patients
survive, but the love they have given their family will last a lifetime.

More wonderful poems at : http://www.nursesareangels.com/nursing_poems.htm

[sfga6970]

What a fantastic poem John. Thanks for posting it.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by sfga6970

What a fantastic poem John. Thanks for posting it.

Yes; I had to fight tears with that one, John. I know from the time I worked Hospice how dear those patients become in a very short time. Hospice, as you know, was only for those dying - sometimes you can only rejoice when death takes them and you know the suffering is over.

But they do take a part of your heart with them. Fortunately, that somehow makes it more instead of less - and you never really forget them.

[Woodmonkey]

I've taken classes at that college. I agree with what she says here. It would give nurses more stature. Nurses are an invaluable part of the health care system.