It’s been a busy few days in the nursing community – first with the high of Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson's moving monologue on being a nurse and then with the low of some uneducated comments on a celebrity talk show.

First, the monologue
I was so impressed with Miss Johnson’s monologue for her talent portion of the Miss America pageant. Nursing is a talent, as is story-telling which she did very well in the competition. Miss Johnson shared the story of her relationship with a patient and what they learned from each other. She taught him that he’s not just an Alzheimer’s patient and he taught her that she’s not just a nurse. 

So often, we nurses are tough on ourselves! We use phrases such as “just a nurse” despite knowing just how important our role is. While I cringed when I first heard her use those words, I was relieved to see the point that she was making. Take a look…
Then, The View
In their discussion about the Miss America pageant, the panel on The View made some derogatory remarks about Miss Johnson’s monologue, saying that she “basically read her emails,” calling it “basically hilarious,” and asking “Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope on?” Wow – this stung initially and then really angered me. And I am not the only one! I’ve spent a good part of this evening reading the posts and comments in support of Miss Johnson’s monologue and I’m also really enjoying the new hashtags (#nursingismytalent, #nursesmatter, and #respectnurses, to name a few), as well as the selfies nurses are posting with their stethoscopes. 

The point is being made – we are nurses and we are proud of it! Keep sharing your passion and educating others about the work that we do and the difference that we make!