Reflections ►
The Invisible Nurse
Not only invisible to media and public , but invisible to our bosses . by Dolores Halbin , contributing writer
My article for this month was originally my response to the President ’ s announcement about Schedule 3 . What could go wrong with that ? Perhaps the fact that there aren ’ t any free-standing anabolic steroids and Tylenol # 3 stores ? However , after reading the incredibly well-written articles on the subject written by Leah Maurer and Dan Viets in May ’ s The EVOLUTION Magazine , I didn ’ t feel my opinion on the matter was critical .
However , my opinion about May ’ s Letter from the Editor matters . Sorry , Bill , but you gotta take one on the chin here . As our beloved Editor pointed out , May is home to over 200 observation days . In his defense , National Nurses Day wasn ’ t on the list when I Googled what ’ s up in May . International Nurses Day was , but way down there after Mother Goose Day and Star Wars Day , and yes , National Pet Your Cat Day .
We Are Invisible
44 June 2024
Nurses Day was May 6 . It is always the first Monday in May , opening Nurses Week . But once again , May has come and gone without so much as a whisper from the media — from any media , local or national . There were no thank yous , no recognition .
Every year , in April , I send letters , emails , and press releases to the major news outlets . Don ’ t forget Nurses Day ! Nurses Week ! Actually , May is Nurses Month , but who knew ? Last year , I received one reply from one dude at one network . “ Oh , sorry , yeah , we forgot again .”
All those special days Bill mentioned didn ’ t even start until May 12 , Mother ’ s Day . We don ’ t compete with National Mushroom Day on the 17th , Memorial Day on the 27th , National Flip Flop Day on the 29th , or Pet Your Cat Day on the May 30 .
Rejoining the Force . Or Not ...
Thanks to Amendment 3 ’ s Expungement , I was recently able to rejoin the Nursing workforce . I was so excited to put on a set of scrubs again , even if they were made from fossil fuels . I wasn ’ t expecting a call from the first company I applied to asking if I could come for an interview that day and if I was available to start the following day . I thought a future employer might have questions about a decade-long gap in my career . Nope . I have a multi-state license and a pulse .
I took that job as a Hospice Nurse . I was hired part-time . The average number of patients for a full-time hospice nurse is 12 . Within one month , I had 28 patients .
Starting the job happened to coincide with my annual trip to the dermatologist , and that timing came to be my saving grace .
When I was a kid , sunscreen wasn ’ t invented yet . And , aside from the pain of sunburn , the sun was never thought to be doing us any harm . So when my doctor informed me I was in for the full chemo-cream-chemical peel again , I took advantage of my face , apologized for the short notice , and quit the job for medical reasons .
The Sacrificial Lambs
I could have taken a one-month medical leave while my face peeled , but after only two months of nursing , my body and soul were both to the point of utter exhaustion .
Nursing wasn ’ t like this ten years ago when I took my first forced retirement via the Bates County Jail . My job was PRN . I got paid extra to come in and cover shifts on short notice . I loved the job , too . I was always somebody ’ s hero , and being appreciated simply feels good . by Freepik
We were appreciated during COVID-19 — or so we thought . However , in a stark article published by Yale in 2022 , nurses were referred to as “ The Sacrificial Lambs ” of the COVID-19 pandemic . Between 2020 and 2022 , roughly 80,000 nurses died from COVID-19 , and another 100,000 quit nursing .
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has projected that 610,388 nurses will quit in the next three years due to stress , burnout , or retirement . I guess they can make that 610,389 with me .
According to a 2024 NIH ( National Institute of Health ) report , we graduate 98,000 new RNs yearly . However , the NIH also reported that 30 % of new grad nurses in 2022 and 2023 quit within the first year . That ’ s a lot of wasted education .