Nurses Week should be every week, says doctor

It’s now been more than three months since National Nurses Week, but one doctor is joining us in thinking that one week is just not sufficient to honor everything nurses do.

Brian J. Secemsky, M.D. is a resident physician in internal medicine at UCSF Medical Center, and has used the space provided to him as a blogger for the Huffington Post to document his first months as a new resident. And with his latest blog titled “Why Every Week Should Be Nurse Appreciation Week,” it seems that he, unlike some doctors we know, has already learned the importance of everything nurses do.

He writes that after first-hand observation of how hard nurses work, he “found it amazing what these individuals can accomplish.” He then goes on to list “only a few of the many hats that nurses wear on a typical day in the hospital,” which are “caretaker,” “educator” and “health care provider.” (We know you can think of a WHOLE LOT more).

All too often, the bad side of the nurse-doctor relationship is publicized, and it’s nice to see a doctor stating his appreciation for everything nurses do. Let’s hope this is a trend that continues all year round — the way it should be.

Do you have any stories of doctors going out of their way to make sure you feel appreciated? Let us know in the comments below, your fellow nurses will appreciate the inspiration. 🙂