This week marks National Nurses Week in observance of the value nurses to our health and our lives. Each day we will post a special tribute to one aspect of nursing, culminating in a final post containing stories from you.
Last year during National Nurses Week NAHN collected stories about how nurses have made a difference in the lives of our NAHN family. On Friday, May 12, we will focus on "Stories."
Please send us a story of how a nurse influenced your life. Also, please share any stories you have received from others about how you made a difference in someone else’s life. These stories are powerful. They help us understand the importance of our work and grow as professionals and human beings. On Friday, we will be celebrating your stories. Please send your stories to Teri Saylor at communication@thehispanicnurses.org by noon, Thursday, May 11.
Sharing is one of the key elements of NAHN’s culture. Sharing among fellow members happens at the chapter and national level and leads to strong friendship bonds. Mentoring is a more formal structure of sharing. Our work to attract more young Hispanics to nursing has a strong mentoring component. We will be revisiting this soon as chapters are trained in how to use the tool kit for Hispanic Role Models in Health Care Careers grant. All NAHN members are welcome to volunteer as a mentor for young Hispanics who are considering nursing.
NAHN has also provided a new tool, called the NAHN leadership listserv, that chapter leaders can use to communicate with each other and with the NAHN Board of Directors. Chapter Presidents from all NAHN chapters have been added. We encourage chapters to add other officers to the listserv, as well. This is a great environment for sharing chapter ideas and for sister chapters to develop throughout the NAHN Chapter network.
As we approach the Phoenix conference this July, I hope you will consider the power of sharing face-to-face with other NAHN members from around the nation. Our annual conference is a celebration of sharing and one that is sure to enrich all those who are able to attend.