Editorial MAY 2004, VOL 79, NO 5

E D I T O R I A L

Nurses- One body, one voice

his month we recognize and honor nurses during National Nurses Week, which occurs May 6 to 12. It ends on May 12 T to commemorate the birthday

of Florence Nightingale. This year’s theme is ”Nurses: Lifting Spirits, Touching Lives.”

The American Nurses Association (ANA), along with many specialty organizations, including AORN, sup- ports nurses and nursing. This year, National Student Nurses Day and National School Nurse Day also will be celebrated during National Nurses Week. In addition, National Nurses Week has become International Nurses Week in recent years, as nurs- es around the world band together with a common theme of celebrating the good work of nurses.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL NURSES WEEK The ANA has been active in sup-

porting nursing since 1897. Each state and territorial ANA affiliate holds cel- ebrations during National Nurses Week. They encourage nurse recogni- tion programs and publicize the con- tributions nurses make to society and individuals.

The history of the effort to gain a special recognition day for all nurses began in 1953 when Dorothy Sutherland of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower to proclaim a “Nurse Day.” Unfortunately, this did not happen. In 1972, a proposal was made to President Richard M. Nixon to proclaim a National Regis- tered Nurse Day. Once again, this did not occur. In 1974, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) proclaimed that May 12 would be International Nurse Day, to correspond with Nightingale’s birthday, and they have

sponsored International Nurse Day every year since.

In February of 1974, President Nixon issued a proclamation designat- ing a week as National Nurses Week. In 1978, Edward Scanlan of Red Bank! NJ! worked to get May 6 listed in Chase‘s Calendar ofAnnuaI Events as National Nurse Day and began pro- moting the celebration. Finally on March 25,1982, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation pro- claiming National Recogr&ion Day for Nurses to be May 6,1982, and May 6 to 12 became a permanent week for celebration in 1994.’

DIVERSIFICATION Perioperative nurses

regularly celebrate dur- ing our own national week of identity! which occurs in November. We frequently forget, howev- er, that we are part of a whole. We are nurses first and foremost, regardless of where we practice. Although it is fine to celebrate our spe- cialty, we must not forget the rest of our familv.

Nurses are a very diverse group, and we tend to

voluntatily fragment

ourselves to the point that any

nurse outside our group is suspect.

Nurses are a very diverse group, and we tend to voluntarily fragment ourselves further every year. We have broken into specialty groups, work site groups, ethnic groups, gender groups, and educational groups. We have become so territorial that any nurse outside our group is suspect. For example, why is it that nurses outside the perioperative arena often think we do not do nursing? Why it that many nurses think that a nurse with an asso- ciate’s degree is not as professional as

AORN JOURNAL 943

Let's all pledge to unite and not

divers;& nursing in

one with a bachelor's degree? Why is it that often perioper- ative nurses who work in an office-based surgery center or a gastrointestinal laboratory are not considered real peri- operative nurses? Why do we sometimes think that anyone in education is not a real nurse?

We all are nurses. We all learned the nursing language and were taught the same skills. We all had the same anatomy and physiology courses and had to write nursing care plans. We all perform nursing tasks, regardless of any other detail. We assess patients, plan care, give care, and evaluate care. Why then do we not celebrate the profession of nursing regardless of any artificial grouping we devise?

ONE BODY, ONE VOICE Nurses still are highly

respected health care profes- sionals. It is sad, but someday we all will need a nurse to

thought and deed. Let's pledge to work

together for the common good of the

public and the profession.

care for us or a family mem- ber. We will want the best nurse possible, whether it is in the OR, rehabilitation institu- tion, or at home. In our cele- brations this month, we must consider how we act and what we do to stimulate inter- est in nursing opportunities. AORN is involved actively with many projects to do just that. The Association is work- ing with many organizations, such as the ANA and other nursing groups, and members are learning how to encourage young people to choose nurs- ing as a profession.

In celebration of National

Nurses Week this year, let's all pledge to unite and not diver- slfy nursing in thought and deed. Let's pledge to work together for the common good of the public and the profes- sion. Let's pledge to respect each other and recognize that nurses are nurses, no matter where they work, who they are, or how they got where they are. Let's pledge to show young people that nursing is a dynamic, interesting, and wonderful career that will last a lifetime. Let's pledge to become one body and one voice. Happy National Nurses Week to all you wonderful nurses here at home and around the world. **

NANCY J. GIRARD RN, PHD, FAAN

EDITOR

NOTE 1. "History of National Nurses Week," American Nurses Association, http://wuw.ana.org

ressrelhnwlnnwhist. htm 31 March 2004).

he US Food and Drug Administration has asked T manufacturers of hormone replacement thera- pies t o include Alzheimer's disease and other '

forms of dementia on the l i s t of possible risk fac- tors of these medications, according t o a Feb 10, 2004, news release from Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation a t the Rockefeller University, New York. Hormone replacement thera- pies containing estrogen and progestin are used to treat symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats. It also was hoped that this therapy might help keep memory intact and ward off Alzheimer's disease i n older women. A study found, however, that that this treatment does l i t t le to prevent Alzheimer's disease and may,

Alzheimer's Disease a Hormone Replacement Risk Factor i n fact, increase the risk.

Other possible risk factors for women taking these medications include heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer. Risk for developing a serious prob- lem, such as Alzheimer's disease or cancer, appears to be small, however. Experts recommend that women discuss the risks with their physicians and, if they opt t o take hormone replacement medica- tions, that they take the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time.

Hormone Replacement Therapies Carry Alzheimer's Risk (news release, New York: fisher Centerfir Alzheimer's Research Foundation, Feb 10, 2003) http://w.alzinfo .org/news/2-17-04.aspx (accessed 27 Feb 2004).

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