Thank a Nurse Today

ON THE FRONT LINES

My Twitter feed is filled with exhausted, exasperated nurses who are getting hammered by long shifts and lost patients. Sometimes those patients ask for vaccinations, not understanding that they are asking too late. Vaccinations are preventative measures that help prepare a body to fight off a future microbe. Amazingly enough, many people remain unclear on the current research to protect themselves.

That doesn’t keep these sick people or members of their families from getting angry at healthcare providers. Aside from the sheer workload recently, nurses get blowback or worse from frightened and/or angry patients. Nurses are even being warned to change out of their scrubs before leaving work because of unprovoked attacks at gas stations and other public venues.

“Now’s the time,” Dr. Jeffery Elder, Medical Director for Emergency Management at LCMC Health in New Orleans said (Emergency care becoming a ‘balancing act’ with hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 (msn.com). “Masking and getting vaccinated, that’s what’s going to get us past this.” 

But many people don’t seem to believe Dr. Elder. The ivermectin bandwagon still has people jumping on and off. Reader, if anyone you know is an ivermectin proponent, ask them to look up side effects/dangers of antiparasitic drugs. A drug designed to kill worms in your body isn’t going to slide through like Metamucil. That drug is meant to create a killing field of dead little critters.

In any case, we are not past “this” yet. In some areas, the light at the end of the tunnel still signals an oncoming train. And our nurses keep stepping in front of this train, day after day, night after night.

Eduhonesty: This is a great day to thank a nurse friend. Maybe even send a card? If he or she is good friend, why not send some chocolate to express appreciation? Or drop by with a bouquet of flowers. Nurses are the bedrock in America’s healthcare system. They could use more than a few kind words right now.

Hugs to my readers, Jocelyn Turner