Thank You to Nurses in honor of National Nurses Week

In celebration of National Nurses Week, I would like to send a heartfelt thank you to our entire nursing staff.  Nurses account for the largest portion of personnel in our department and have an immeasurable impact in each of our tripartite missions. From creating teachable moments for our Medicine trainees, to being compassionate care givers, to contributing to clinical patient research and academic literature, nurses are at the core of Medicine’s mission and vision. Nursing has shown tremendous commitment to the department this academic year. Helping Medicine care for patients that account for more than 250,000 clinic visits and 17,500 hospital admissions annually is no small accomplishment. Nurses in our clinical areas braved multiple snow storms this winter and most recently navigated the challenges presented by the unrest in Baltimore to ensure that clinical areas were adequately staffed and patients received the care they needed. Nurse managers and their staff have shown their commitment to not only our patient care mission but also to the department’s financial health through managing to shrinking budgets and cutting costs during this time of financial recovery.

Our nursing staff members are among the best in the country and are recognized for their innovation and collaboration. Among their many notable achievements, they provided training at several international facilities, supported sister hospitals with their Epic Go Live and demonstrated excellence in Bar Code Medication Administration and Meaningful Use. In addition, our nurses have played an integral part in improving our patient-centered and value-driven care approach by their supportive involvement in the planning and the expansion of the IV infusion center operations, the Heart Failure Bridge Clinic and the Sickle Cell Infusion Center.

For these and many more reasons, I thank each and every one of you for the part you play in contributing to the high standard of nursing excellence that is so self-evident in the Department of Medicine.

On behalf of the entire department, I thank you.