A message from Dean Davidson:
Many of you probably saw the recent news regarding a U.S. Senator’s remarks that nurses spend most of their day playing cards and complaining about their workload. Or, you saw the social media backlash that spread (#nursesdontplaycards) and the comments from nurses across the country who wanted to set the record straight.
Yet, unfortunately, this is not the first or only time we have seen such a misconstrued view of what nurses actually do in today’s world. The misinterpretation is widespread—with the media, our legislators, and often times the general public, unaware of the extent to which we work, fight, study, cry, and advocate for patients, families, and communities across the world.
This is where we, as nurses, must use our voice in bigger ways. There is no time like now to speak up for our profession and lead the conversation, rather than letting someone else’s narrative define our reputation.
In the current debate regarding nursing rest breaks–our voices should be leading. In the debate over nursing burnout–our voices should be leading. And in the debate about Title VIII—our voices should be leading. The list certainly goes on.
While the recent remarks again revealed the misinterpretation of nursing’s indispensable work, they did highlight that nurses are ready and willing to respond. The incident also reminded me why we made the We Got This video and how timely, relevant, and necessary it still is. Share the video–and keep using your voice.