Celebrating the Expert, Compassionate Care of Nurses

Byline by K. Kelly Hancock, DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, Chief Caregiver Officer

It’s National Nurses Week, a week to show appreciation and gratitude for the incredible nursing professionals who have dedicated their careers to improving the health and well-being of others.

Nurses are the core of the healthcare system. Every day, they play a vital role in the advancement of healthcare by enhancing nursing through high quality evidence-based practice, innovation, research, patient advocacy, education, care prevention and more. This past year, nurses faced greater challenges than ever before. They were asked to put their lives on the line in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and they not only stepped up, but they also stepped forward.

Florence Nightingale once said, “I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took an excuse.” There were certainly no excuses from nurses over the past year. They never backed down, and they gave their all 24/7.

We saw nurses shine in a new and brighter light and it was an inspiration for all of healthcare and humanity. Nurses Week is the perfect time to reflect on the many ways nurses continuously rose to the occasion during the pandemic, recognize them for their expert, compassionate care and celebrate their many accomplishments and ongoing contributions to make healthcare even better in the future.

Please enjoy these pandemic success stories from our Cleveland Clinic nursing archives. To nurses near and far, thank you for the work you do, in times of crisis and always.

• ED Nurses Deliver Care Backpacks to Homeless People: Homelessness is exacerbated during a global pandemic. Frontline caregivers at Cleveland Clinic main campus handed out backpacks with essential items to help temporarily ease the burden.
  
  
• Hospice Nurses Continue Their Mission During COVID-19 Pandemic: Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nurses on the Cleveland Clinic hospice team continue to care for patients and honor their end-of-life wishes.
  
  
• Pandemic Fast-Tracks Innovations: When faced with challenges, nurses don’t throw up their hands in frustration. They roll up their sleeves and solve problems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses at Cleveland Clinic find solutions to issues small and large.
  
  
• Making Virtual Connections: During the COVID-19 pandemic, ambulatory care management nurses at Cleveland Clinic have used telehealth to monitor COVID-positive patients at home, manage patients with chronic conditions and more.
  
  
• Care That Spans A World in Crisis: Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, Cleveland Clinic nurses jumped into action by cross-training to aid in critical care settings, traveling to hard-hit areas to lend a hand and helping set up a surge hospital on main campus.
  
  
• How Indian River Hospital Managed Its First COVID-19 Patients: Through multi-disciplinary teamwork, strong nursing leadership, and the critical thinking of nursing caregivers, Indian River Hospital quickly developed an instrumental surveillance process for COVID-19 patients.
  
  
• Nursing Innovation Provides Solution for COVID-19 Challenges: For patients with COVID-19 requiring isolation in intensive care units, caregivers might use an average of 66 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) each day. This nursing innovation moved IV lines outside of patient rooms, reducing room entry and improving safety.
  
  
• Retired Nurses Answering the Call During COVID-19 Crisis: Cleveland Clinic recognizes and thanks the many retired nurses who reached out during this time of need, answering the call to help.