Supporting Nurses and Midwives
April 7 is World Health Day. This year’s celebration is all about giving thanks to nurses and midwives. With the current state of the world’s health, there is not a community that deserves more recognition than they do.
As pointed out by the World Health Organization, the organization in charge of World Health Day, nurses are the first line of defense when it comes to treating patients with COVID-19. They analyze and record the symptoms. They make patients comfortable when they feel overwhelmed by the prospect of becoming a statistic. These men and women put their lives in harm’s way to save hundreds, if not thousands. And, they are doing it all with little time to sleep, eat, or take care of themselves and their loved ones.
Showing Gratitude
We can show thanks to these healthcare professionals by simply saying it. With mandated social distancing, WHO is asking citizens to say thank you virtually. Send nurses a message via social media using #SupportNursesAndMidwives and #COVID19. Looking to give thanks in a more personal way? Check in with your local hospital to see if they are doing anything special. Some medical institutions, like UChicago Medicine, are inviting individuals to send online messages to healthcare professionals on the frontlines.
Want a more creative way to give thanks? You can sew your thanks by sewing fabric masks for nurses to wear over their N95 masks. Due to the short supply of N95 masks, many nurses have to wear their mask multiple times. Some sources suggest that wearing a cloth mask over an N95 mask can keep nurses a little bit safer. For more information on how beneficial these cloths masks can be and how to make them, click here.
Advocating for Nurses
Sometimes saying thanks isn’t enough. WHO recommends that we band together and show how much we value nurses by encouraging the government to invest in nursing education and healthcare coverage. You can do this by starting a petition or writing a letter to a government official. Nurses are everyday heroes, especially in this day and age. As pointed out by WHO, we need to, “remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy.”
To help provide relief for nurses during this time, the American Nurses Foundation is accepting donations. Funds donated will be used to provide mental health support for nurses and push advocacy efforts even further. You can make a donation by visiting ANA’s website, here.
Are you a nurse who is looking for a clinical experience? You are in luck! AMOpportunities offers many nursing clinical experiences across many medical specialties.
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