In case you missed it, on September 13th, Kelley Johnson, Miss Colorado 2015, chose to perform a monologue as her talent in the Miss America pageant. The title of her monologue was "Just a Nurse." She came on stage in her scrubs, stethoscope around her neck, and talked about a patient with Alzheimer disease who had helped her to realize that she isn't "just a nurse." She concluded by saying, "I am a lifesaver. I am never going to be just a nurse."
While I wasn't watching the pageant, I did see a Facebook alert about it and watched a YouTube clip of her monologue. Her words impressed me, and I appreciated her giving a voice to nurses. I was disappointed that she didn't win, but I anticipated that her monologue would be a topic of discussion at work the next day. What an incredible understatement!
Nurses Unite!
The next day on the morning talk show The View, Michelle Collins and Joy Behar made controversial statements about Miss Colorado's "costume" and her "doctor's stethoscope." They said that she basically stood up there and read her e-mails. I'm not exactly sure what they saw, but it certainly wasn't the same monologue I saw.
What occurred next was the most amazing thing I've seen happen to our profession in my 30 years of being a nurse. Nurses everywhere were fired up and united. And we all saw firsthand the incredible power of social media. Thousands of nurses posted, tweeted, Snapchatted, and Instagrammed pictures of themselves in their scrubs and stethoscopes. The hashtags #NursesUnite and #NursesShareYourStethoscope appeared everywhere. It wasn't long before our professional organizations joined the social media campaign. Many of us took the opportunity to heighten public awareness about all of the great work we do every day. Many other people jumped in to support our profession as well. Several corporate sponsors suspended their advertising on The View, including Johnson & Johnson, Eggland's Best, Snuggle, and McCormick.
Remember who we are
Nurses don't wear costumes: We wear scrubs, we use our stethoscopes, and we save lives. Oh, and by the way, we've been voted the most honest and ethical profession for the last 13 years, according to the Gallup poll.1 Thank you, Kelley Johnson, for giving nurses such a big voice.
Until the next time, be healthy, be happy, be great advocates for your patients, and stay united!
AnneMarie Palatnik, MSN, APN, ACNS-BC
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