Happy Nurses Week!

I grew up in a small town in northern New York State in the 1950s and '60s, an area of no racial or cultural diversity. Since the flower power movement had yet to make even a slight dent in my consciousness, I faced the choices for a career from a list of four - wife and mother, teacher, secretary, or nurse. I knew from an early age that to be a nurse was my only sensible choice and I left the farm country for the city to train for that ideal adventure.

I loved nursing and being identified as a nurse from the first moment I enrolled in nursing school. There have always been an abundance of career pathways for nurses--both then and now. A variety of jobs continue to be available for enthusiastic nursing graduates in all specialties. While we continue to struggle with identification and recognition within our own ranks, we each possess the distinct power to make a difference in the lives of every patient we touch and serve. What a great gift to give to all of humanity!

— Pat Gill, RN, MSN, CWON
Outpatient Wound Care Program
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center