The month of May spotlights nurses as we celebrate National Nurses Week. Each year, we set aside the week May 6-12 as a time to recognize the contribution that nurses make to their community. At the end of this week, we celebrate the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of the modern nursing profession. If Florence were here today, I believe she would be very proud of our vocation. Even in these unstable economic times, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recites that one of the top jobs of the decade will be nursing. After all these years Florence, nurses are still need!!

Recently, with the H1N1 outbreak, nurses were asked to lineup to become immunized so that they would be able to care for the approaching influx of seriously ill influenza patients. It seems that we were coming to grips with the influenza outbreak when a disaster struck Haiti, which now had a desperate need for nurses. As television displayed the horror of such suffering, I had such pride that once again my profession was on the front line helping and aiding those seriously injured. Should you want to travel and volunteer in another country, your search on the Internet will show endless nursing needs around the world. The mere word nurse means to care for, look after, tend to, foster, and nurture.

In those early years, nurses were mainly known for aiding and comforting those in need. We still aid and comfort but now within our various nursing specialties. There are surgical patients who need our expertise in plastic surgery and who are concerned with the repair, restoration, or improvement of lost, injured, defective, or misshapen bodies. Our skill set is unique. We have the technical skills to assist on delicate and invasive procedures that facilitate a positive surgical outcome, combined with emotional skills that aid our patient on the road to recovery, mentally and physically. We honor Florence and one another by aiding and comforting our patients day in and day out.

LuAnn Buchholz, RN, CPSN

ASPSN President 2010