RICHLAND, Wash. – According to the American Nurses Association, May 6 through 12 is National Nurses Week. This year’s theme is “nurses make the difference”. According to the ANA, in 1993, the it designated those dates as a week honoring nurses and their commitment to helping keep our country healthy.
For Brandon King, a nurse in the Emergency Department with Kadlec Regional Medical Center, military service led to a desire to become a nurse.
He attended Columbia Basin College and earned his registered nursing degree in 2011. He said the best part of his job is his co-workers and knowing he gets to help people.
“I’m going to get to do something to help somebody on one of the worst days of their lives and be able to impact that,” said King. “So getting to go home and knowing that you helped people.”
King said it’s important to be honest with his patients to gain their trust, and that’s one thing he prides himself on. He said when you come to the hospital, it’s because something is wrong, and they want you to know that the people taking care of you actually care.
Kirk Harper, the Chief Nursing Officer at Kadlec, started at the hospital in 1998. Harper said he wasn’t originally in the nursing field. Harper said his family had a life-altering event, and had the opportunity to care for a person and realized he loved what he did. That is when he decided to change career paths and make a difference.
“Nurses are with the patients 24-7,” Harper said. “We are with them day in and day out. We’re at the bedside. We’re with them through all those special moments they go through. We’re with them at times they’re at their most vulnerable our patients and their family members are experiencing that moment in time.”
He said that as a nurse, you are not only providing medical care to the patients, but also talking to and comforting them. He says that is invaluable to what they can provide to their patients.
Harper said Kadlec has been honoring its nurses in different ways throughout the week.
Harper and King say ensuring the hospital takes care of nurses’ mental health is essential. Harper said Kadlec has resources for struggling nurses that are completely anonymous.
