Nurses Week 2025

May 07, 2025

Today, May 6th, marks the start of Nurses Week…

I started this journey as a candy striper volunteer at Jordan Hospital on the weekends in High School to help bring patients to their cars on discharge from the hospital. I wanted teh experience before nursing school at Georgetown.

I would often get asked why I wanted to become a nurse, and not a doctor. It turns out that you can be both 😉 (after a lot of years in higher education).

I have spent much on the last 20 years asking why and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this profession. I can tire people out with my questions and vision for what should be, and not yet is, but I keep going…

My trajectory has given me the opportunity to speak to others in a variety of ways about how to think about the profession as well as creating one’s own personal trajectory.

Today, I reflected on Nurses Week as I recorded a promotional video for an upcoming event where I will serve as the Opening Keynote Speaker.

When I do speak, I often reflect back on what it was like as that new nurse and how much effort it took to get there. You can see me here as a nursing student in clinical at Georgetown in my starchy clinical outfit!

Nurses are the largest group of healthcare professionals in the world. There are 4x as many nurses to medical doctors.

Nurses are masters at knowing how to suggest treatments to doctors without making the doctors feel like it was not their initial idea (this helps build relationships 🙂 ).

Nurses are also masters at knowing something is off or not right with you (at work of course, but also with friends, family, and even strangers outside of work), without even saying anything… They will likely start trying to help you or ask you questions to figure out how they can help.

However, taking care of ourselves, as nurses, is hard at times. We have been trained to care for others first and literally put the needs of others before our own basic needs (e.g., lunch and bathroom breaks for example).

One way you can take care of yourself is taking that step forward that you have been wanting to take but have been nervous about making the move…

Maybe it is a new job, a new role, a new degree, a new specialty, a new schedule… Maybe it is not now but in the next few years.

Whatever you choose, embrace serendipity along the way….

~ Tiffany Kelley PhD MBA RN NI-BC FNAP

Lillian Wald, Founder of Henry Street Settlement & Inventor of term ‘Public Health Nursing’

May 11, 2016    |   , ,

Lillian Wald (1867-1940) is our featured nurse innovator today! Lillian Wald is another nurse pioneer whose efforts have advanced the nursing profession. Lillian received her nursing education from the New York Hospital School for Nurses. From her training and experience, she saw the struggles of the people within the greater New York City community and decided to do something to change the conditions. Initially, her efforts began with founding the Visiting Nurse Service and the Henry Street Settlement in 1893.

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Clara Barton (1821-1912), Founder of the Red Cross

May 09, 2016    |   , , , ,

Innovator in Nursing Profile: Clara Barton (1821-1912), Founder of the Red Cross

Clarissa Harlow (Clara) Barton, was a pioneer and innovator in transforming health care. Clara Barton started initially working as a teacher and then became one of the first women employees in the federal government. Soon later, Barton began to see an opportunity to support American soldiers during the Civil War. Clara started her efforts by working to gather medical supplies for the soldiers (e.g., bandages, food, and clothing). However, Clara soon found herself working to aid the soldiers on the front lines. Barton spent time gathering supplies and bringing them to the front lines. In one instance, she was able to support the surgeons on the front line with replenishments when they had run out of supplies. Clara Barton’s efforts earned her the nickname, ‘Angel of the Battlefield’.

“I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.” ~ Clara Barton

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Happy Nurses Week!

May 06, 2016    |   , , , , ,

Happy Nurses Week!

May 6th marks the start of Nurses Week that runs through May 12th each year! The American Nurses Association indicates that there are over 3 million registered nurses in the United States. This means we have that many people around us who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others! That is a remarkable mission that deserves recognition.

Nurses play a fundamental role in advancing the health of individuals each day. Nurses go into this profession to heal and help others. Each one of us, as individuals, will need some form of health care service at some point in our lives. Our nurses are the lifeline to our health. In health care organizations, nurses are the health care professionals who are at our bedside 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yet, their nursing care does not stop at the bedside.

To paint the full picture, I’d like to share an excerpt of some words I spoke about the meaning of being a nurse….

“….what happens is that your profession as a nurse becomes part of who you are, your persona. You will be presented with situations that could benefit from your nursing knowledge and skills to help others. You will not always know when those situations will come but when they do, you will likely react instinctively and pitch in to help that individual, family, community or population in need.

Whether it is fielding a question from a friend about how much Tylenol to give her son that has a fever, advocating for a dying family member who is unable to advocate for his or herself, or simply listening to someone who is going through a difficult time. The possibilities are endless. Your nursing knowledge and skills can make an impact that will be memorable for you as well as that individual person or family.

Thus, as you move forward in your career as a nurse, what I would like for each of you to think about is the impact you will have not only in your professional life but also in those unexpected moments of your personal life when someone is in need of your care.

Regardless of where the need is located, your response to that need will not only benefit you as a nurse but also you as an individual. More importantly, the benefits will be far greater for those individuals, families, communities and populations who are on the receiving end of your efforts.” (See more at: https://nursing.duke.edu/news/tiffany-kelley-apply-your-nursing-knowledge-skills-day-day-pursuit-excellence#sthash.1rjHCKuX.dpuf )

Thus, This week we are celebrating nurses and the nursing profession! Each day during this week we will be showcasing a nurse on our blog who has been fundamental in advancing the nursing profession. We hope that you will be stimulated by the week and re-invigorated for what you do each day to help improve the lives of patients and families!

Best wishes,

Tiffany

Nurses, We want to Know Your Voice!

March 25, 2016    |   , , , , , , , ,

Our Know Your Voice contest is being launched to help support each of you, as nurses, you work to provide patients with the best possible care! If you are a nurse, please consider entering this contest. If you know a nurse, please consider telling him or her about this contest. What are we looking for? Well, let me share a few stories with you.

This week, I was speaking with a nurse about Know My PatientTM. We were talking about what life is like as a nurse on the floor. I mentioned how painful it can be to watch nurses struggle to access and use the electronic health record (EHR) while their primary focus is on delivering patient care at the bedside.

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5 Reasons Why Nurses Need Apps

March 04, 2016    |   , , , , , ,

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“Why do Nurses Need Apps?“

Last week someone asked me, ‘Why do nurses need apps?’ His question made me realize that the need for nurses to have apps to do their day-to-day work taking care of patients may not be obvious to the general public. I often tell nurses that it is our responsibility to inform others of our role and responsibilities, impact on patient care and overall value we bring to the health care industry. We are the subject matter experts and the champions for our profession. So, in the spirit of the message I often send to other nurses, I’d like to offer 5 reasons why nurses need apps to help support their delivery of high quality patient care.

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