'Every Day I See How Our Nurses Understand the Needs of Healthcare'

It’s National Nursing Week (May 8-14) and celebrations are taking place across the country as we recognize the extraordinary people in the profession and honour nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12.

With a theme of ‘Our Nurses. Our Future’, this year’s campaign spotlight’s the courage and commitment that nurses display every day as well as the important role that nurses play in the community.

I am proud to be a nurse, in particular in mental health.

More so, I am proud to represent and work with nurses at Ontario Shores as they make a difference in the lives of people living with mental illness.

Every day I see how our nurses understand the needs of healthcare, including patient care and how they are leading transformations into the future. This can look like building greater partnerships with various health professionals to further enable collaborative team-based care models – to make sure nurses’ skills and expertise are being used most effectively. From my perspective not only will this help continue to elevate the nursing role in healthcare but it will also ensure all professions are working at top of license to provide the best care possible, at the right time, at the right place, by the right person.

This week of celebration also provides an opportunity for reflection. During these challenging times in healthcare how can we creatively and more effectively transform the system, levering on the strength of the health professionals to benefit those we serve much better than today, aiming to make the future of healthcare more hopeful and successful together.

As we look back and into the future, it’s also imperative we stay present and focus on the health of everyone, including ourselves.

Much has occurred over the last few years and it has taken a toll on healthcare, including the nursing profession. As friends, colleagues and as an organization, it is important we all support the health and wellbeing of nurses so they can continue to provide their expertise and excellent patient care to those who need it most.

This is also an opportunity to redesign the role of nursing in collaboration with other professions to ensure nurses continue to help evolve the future of healthcare.

While the challenges faced by both healthcare and our profession are real, so is the passion nurses bring to Ontario Shores every day. I offer my sincere appreciation for everything you do for our patients and each other and I hope you have time this week to partake in celebrations and receive the recognition you deserve.

Thank you.