Do you know an emergency room nurse? Perhaps you may have visited an emergency department, and maybe one helped save your life. If so, did you know that Emergency Nurses Week 2021 is celebrated October 10-16, with a particular focus on October 13 for Emergency Nurses Day?
Every Emergency Nurses Week, the Emergency Nurses Association selects a year’s theme to highlight how emergency nurses take on their careers. This year the ENA celebrates and recognizes the “grit” of emergency nurses during its annual Emergency Nurses Week celebrations.
“ Grit” is an excellent definition for emergency nurses. Emergency nurses are constantly working in highly stressful environments that are fast-paced and continually changing. Emergency department nurses are used to dealing with many challenges and obstacles that may be present in their department, with one of the biggest challenges being the current pandemic and with what COVID-19 has brought in our emergency departments and our communities.
While many adults could stay home and work from home when the pandemic started, emergency nurses, unfortunately, did not have the option. Their duties and commitment to patient care kept them going and working day in and out.
To say that the past year and a half has been difficult is a vast understatement. Our emergency department nurses in the Rio Grande Valley continue to deal with the challenges that have presented into our local emergency departments. For some the issues have revolved around being overcrowded and having a shortage of nurses in the departments, not to mention dealing with an increased number of sick patients and the significant number of deaths.
Emergency nurses play a vital role in providing care to patients and in saving lives. Would you please help me wish all the emergency department nurses in the Rio Grande Valley a happy Emergency Nurses Week 2021?
Aaron Salinas, President Rio Bravo Chachalacas #438, Mission
