NASHUA – St. Joseph Hospital, and medical centers across the nation, are spending this week giving thanks to their nurses for all that they do each and every day.

May 6-12 has been declared by the American Nurses Association as National Nurses Week since 1993. The celebration ends on May 12, the same day as the founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

Nightingale was best known for laying the foundations of modern nursing. In 1854, she and her staff of volunteer nurses were deployed to Scutari, a British base hospital in modern-day Istanbul during the Crimean War, where they saw poor care for wounded soldiers. They recognized a short supply of medicine, while hygiene was being neglected and fatal infections were spreading rampantly. It is said that her work in improving sanitary conditions reduced the hospital’s death rate by two-thirds.

Throughout her career, she continued to advocate for sanitary treatment conditions.

This week, according to the American Nurse Association, the nation’s 4 million registered nurses are to be recognized for their vast contributions and positive impact.

On Wednesday, nurses at St. Joseph’s Hospital went back in time and celebrated Wear White Wednesday.

Andrea Erickson, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at St. Joseph Hospital, said Wear White Wednesday seems almost like Christmas for her.

“I think it’s important, sometimes, to bring back the white and the tradition, just to see the look on people’s faces, especially our older patient population. It makes them very happy, which makes us happy,” Erickson said.

Erickson has been with the hospital for about a year and a half, but has worked as a registered nurse for 23 years.

“I love taking care of patients and their families,” Erickson said. “(I love) making people better if I can and if I can’t, making their transition be as comfortable and peaceful as possible.”

Erickson recognizes the hard work of her fellow nurses.

“Nursing is really, really hard – it’s a hard profession,” Erickson said. “We deal with human emotion, which can be very difficult and challenging, so it’s important to recognize and reward, and to appreciate what nurses do.”

She added, “And it’s not just nursing. It’s the whole health care team. We’re trying to recognize all of the health care team.”

In total, the hospital and its other facilities employ 400 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, along with 161 licensed nursing assistants.

Grace Pecci may be reached at 593-1243, or at gpecci@nashuatelegraph.com.

Newsletter