November includes many special days: Thanksgiving Day, National Family Health History Day, Veterans Day, numerous health observances, the end of daylight saving time, and National Nurse Practitioner Week. Thanksgiving Day is a treasured holiday in the US and a time for people to count their blessings and connect over family, friendship, community, service, and food. However, Thanksgiving can be a time of sadness for individuals without support, so reach out to those in need. The day is also an opportune time for families to revisit and update health histories so that all members know about their risk for health conditions. Prevention is the best strategy. Remember our veterans; they deserve high-quality accessible healthcare services through Veterans Affairs hospitals as well as other public and private facilities. Winston Churchill once said, "Never...was so much owed by so many to so few." The number of daily, weekly, and monthly health observances has grown exponentially; I find it hard to keep up. Pick and choose which you want to observe this month. We all have special interests, so invest your time and energy where you can make a difference. Finally, on November 5, 2023, we will turn our clocks back an hour, and darkness will descend upon us earlier in the day. The Sunshine Protection Act that would have made daylight saving time permanent was unanimously passed by the US Senate in 2022 during the 117th Congress, but it was never voted on in the House, leading ultimately to its expiration. The bill has since been reintroduced in the current 118th Congress and is awaiting consideration. Consider how the work of NPs is intricately interlaced with all these events in some way.
NP Week affirmations
The theme for this year's NP Week celebration, November 12-18, is "NP Week: Recognizing Heroes in Health Care." We have seen highs and lows with the designation of "hero." I am relatively assured, however, that any patient who has a patient-provider relationship with an NP will never dispute the fact that NPs will always be heroes.
I decided to look back to see if I had imparted any words of wisdom in my editorials over the past years that are worth repeating. Affirming each other is important. Here are selected messages I left with you at the end of my November editorials in observance of NP Week.
2018: We celebrate ourselves every day by going to our various practice sites and addressing the needs of our patients.
2020: Let your voice be heard.
2021: Celebrate the leaders in your life, which includes YOU.
2022: "In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it, they must not do too much of it, and they must have a sense of success in it."-John Ruskin
To this list, I will add a few more affirmations for this year's NP Week. Love yourself and what you do. Demonstrate confidence in your knowledge and skills. Show up for your commitments. Support your colleagues. Share with the world how special you are and the positive impact of NP contributions to a healthy nation. Be prepared to speak about NPs, whether to one person in an elevator speech at a moment's notice or to an audience of thousands for which you have prepared. Respect all individuals and advocate for health equity. Educate the uninformed. Participate in preparing the next generation of NPs. Practice self-care, including sleep, physical activity, healthy eating, and stress reduction. Vacation! Sustain your passion for caring.
Statistics
There are approximately 355,000 NPs in the US. The US Census Bureau estimates our current population to be over 335 million, with 1 birth every 8 seconds and 1 death every 11 seconds.1 Do the math. The need for NPs will never end. Continue on!
Jamesetta A. Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief mailto:[email protected]
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