A message from your Midwest Region Chapter ANIA leadership: Celebrating nurses’ month

Dear Chapter Member,

May 2021 has been designated by the ANA as Nurses’ Month.  In previous years, nurses across the globe have celebrated Florence Nightingale’s birthday as the humble beginnings of modern nursing practice. In recognition of nursing’s numerous contributions in recent times, the ANA has extended the celebration to include the entire month.  Each week has been identified to focus on a specific topic important to nursing practice.  The week of May 1-9 is focused on Self Care for nurses with emphasis on both the physical and mental well-being of our caregivers.  Your Chapter leadership would like to recognize the many challenges affecting our Informatics Nurse colleagues over this past year.

While not often on the front lines delivering physical patient care, Informatics Nurses have nonetheless made significant contributions to managing patient care throughout the pandemic.  With higher acuity patients and surges in patient volumes, NIs were called upon to decrease documentation burden for those delivering care. Fast tracking EMR changes to accommodate local, state, and national requests became a norm.  Additional challenges were presented in finding creative ways to track patients, analyze big data patterns, and present data in meaningful packages to decision makers.  Some NIs volunteered to administer vaccinations, staff patient call centers, and identify potential pockets of underserved patient populations. 

On other fronts, NI’s found themselves navigating furloughs, canceled implementations, and remote work.  This was mentally exhausting for those who tried to support thousands of short term/traveler staff to utilize EMRs.  Planned projects and upgrades were moved to back burners while staff focused efforts on emergency changes only. Through these tough times have emerged Nis with new skill sets, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a better understanding of the impact of their work for patient care.  

Now is the time to take a moment to breathe and implement some self-care routines before moving on to a new normal in your organization.  Find a way to take a walk, have a spa moment, read, listen to your favorite artist, meditate.  Schedule “me” time into your routine and guard that as sacred time.

YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Happy Nurse’s Month!