National Nurses Week 2018: How to Appreciate Your Nurses
It’s National Nurses Week 2018!
Nursing is one of the most demanding, tedious, and thankless jobs around, not just in the healthcare industry but in the world. Nurses work long hours, get exposed to health hazards on a daily basis, and have to contend with the physical and mental demands of caring for patients. On top of that, nurses are constantly exposed to negative and often depressing situations in the midst of other overworked healthcare professionals, ill patients, and distressed family members.
But just because the work is stressful does not mean the workplace – and the people in it – have to be stressed too! In this special National Nurses’ Week 2018 blog, we are putting the spotlight on all the invaluable things that nurses do for the industry and the people they serve and offering up tips on how you can keep your nursing staff happy and motivated at work and show them some much-appreciated gratitude.
What Nurses Do
Nurses work so hard and very rarely get thanked for it! Here are just a few of the things that nurses do:
- Provide physical care for patients
- Make sure patients get their medication in the right dosage and on time
- Make sure that patients are comfortable
- Help bridge communication between doctors and patients when needed
- Help ease the worry and concern of patients
- Assure patients’ families that they can leave their loved one in the care of an able and caring professional
- Prevent medical complications in patients
- Make sure all medical equipment is running properly
- Save lives
- Help keep your medical practice running smoothly and efficiently
How to Show Appreciation for Your Nurses
Gratitude is not an occasion. It’s a lifestyle that is best shown in the small, everyday things that we do for the people we are thankful for. Here are some tips for doctors, managers, and other co-workers to help you show your appreciation for your nursing staff – not just for National Nurses Week 2018 but for every day:
1. A little ‘Thank you!’ goes a long way.
Nurses are not just experts in taking care of patients and assisting doctors. They are even bigger experts in making things smoother and easier for everyone else. Express your gratitude in exactly the most basic way: say ‘thank you!’
2. Ask them how they are.
A sincere ‘How are you?’ lets your nursing staff know that you care about how they are and how they feel and not just how well they perform at work. It also allows you to know what their personal concerns and situations are and how you can help so it does not affect their work.
3. Congratulate them for victories big and small.
Whether it’s a work-related victory like a work anniversary or a raise, or a personal one like a wedding or a kid’s graduation, let your nurses know that you share in their joys. It makes them feel like family.
4. Get them involved in planning for things that affect them.
This makes them feel that their opinions are valued and validates their already-large contribution to your whole facility.
5. Make sure that they are cared for.
Find ways to ease the job load for them, whether it’s as small as an occasional free meal or as important as a scrub rental program that allows them to go home and not have to worry about having to wash their dirty scrubs.
Happy National Nurses Week 2018
We can never replace nurses. And so, from everyone here at Medico, we’d like to greet every nurse all over the world and send our heartfelt message of gratitude and love for all that you do! Happy National Nurses Week 2018 from Medico Professional Linen Service!
