This is rewrite of a blog post I wrote October 2015.
In lieu of celebrating nurses everywhere in this nurses’ week turned nurses month, I felt it inspiring to travel back in time and reconnect with our roots. I love merging the old with the new. Understanding my roots has helped me to grow as a nurse, and given me inspiration to embrace a lifestyle of wellness that drives my health. As a nurse in West Virginia, I’ve been intrigued by Appalachian nurses and their resiliency. Nurses in old Appalachia, were not called nurses, they were mountain women, or Granny women, who saw a need to heal and serve their community. They used nature as their teacher and used food as medicine. They were not formally trained, but could heal just about anything and played critical roles in maintaining the health and wellness of their community. These ‘nurses’ took knowledge from the old world, infused that know-how with native American healing traditions and added their own learning regarding their new world and because they were so isolated from the rest of the world, basically kept their folks alive for a large part of our early history. Because we were so secluded from the rest of the world, these caretakers left a legacy of resiliency that still permeates our culture today. And I think if you looked at nursing’s roots throughout the ages and throughout the world you would probably see a similar pattern.
As I’m maturing in my profession, I’m worried that we are beginning to forget our roots. And knowing where you come from is critical to understanding where you can go. Now I’m not very old, but I’ve been in nursing long enough to know that we often have a hard time unifying what we do and defining what sets us apart from other medical professions. I believe that if we look deep enough, the answer lies in our roots of service to others and how we care for their well-being. As a nurse you carry this title with you into everything you do, regardless of whether you are currently working, taking time off to raise your children, or whether you are retired and enjoying a slower pace. This legacy of nursing begins with Florence and continues with you.
Every nurse knows of Florence Nightingale. Her tenacity, her wisdom and her visionary Notes on Nursing, which remain a mainstay in most nursing programs. But what most nurses do not know about Florence Nightingale is that she was a pioneer in the practice of wellness. She believed in the ability of nature as the ultimate healer, and that patients were the best keepers of their care. Her practice emphasized the nurse as a vessel or conduit in assisting the patient on their path to wellness, coaching and empowering them to be in a position where medicines and medical treatment would have its optimal impact. The lady with the lamp, was a beacon of light and hope and her tenacious spirit inspired many to transform their medical practices. She believed that she could prepare the patient for medicine to work—when do we ever say that? But we know intuitively that this is true. She also articulated that the most comforting thing we can do for someone is to wash them and keep them clean; a small seemingly insignificant act, but probably more healing than any medication we give. She embraced compassion and her practice was based on relationship, which had a strong impact on how well her patients recovered. I fear we are loosing the art of nursing and have become distracted by the modern approach to medicine. I pray that what is happening in the world today creates an awakening in the profession like we’ve never seen coupled with a deep desire to get back to our roots. Our future lies in our ability to embrace our past and continue to carry on Florence’s legacy of wellness.
In Nightingale, public health nursing was born, yet here we are over roughly 150 years later continuing to struggle with how best to promote wellness in our communities. I find it humbling to read her notes on nursing and be reminded that Nightingale was trying to address these very same concepts in her nursing practice over 150 years ago.
In contrast to Nightingales practice era, modern nurses are faced with tremendous expectations and extremely limited time constraints placed on them by the healthcare system and often by themselves that make it very hard for us to intentionally promote the concepts of prevention and wellness. In 2008, the Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine, published their seminal report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.1 This report is really a desperate call to the nursing profession to aid in transforming the health of ourselves and the nation. It is also an opportunity to be reminded of the very same call put forth to the nursing profession by Nightingale in the year 1859.
As nurses we are role models to our family, children, patients, clients and communities. We often take charge of the health of our patients and families without thinking twice of the consequences or the stress that may come with it. This is a large burden to carry, and often results in us losing sight of our own health in the process. Since my personal health scare over 7 years ago, I have taken a hard look at my everyday activities to see how I can become healthier while still doing with I love. Promoting intentional wellness, as outlined in the IOM report, has not only become a professional challenge, but a personal goal of mine. Intentional wellness implies that we actively seek wellness in all facets of our life and become role models to promote balanced and healthy lifestyles in others. All too often we fall prey to the belief that our situations control us, and we have limited power to transform the system, but it is quite the opposite—as a profession we have tremendous power and influence! Every single day I work hard to improve my well-being. I will say that some days are much harder than others. But I keep going because I know others are looking to me for encouragement and inspiration. I am a Nurse and although my profession carries significant responsibility, it also brings me tremendous rewards.
Many times I have prayed for a network of wellness nurse advocates to keep me on track, which is the primary reason I created Deep Roots Healing. As a nurse, I know I need to take care of myself, and I can’t do it alone. So my hope was that Deep Roots Healing would become a community of wellness advocates who first heal themselves, and then bring that healing to their communities. I am excited to announce that this year, I’m launching the second phase of Deep Roots Healing and pray that our community continues to grow and heal so we can bring wellness to everyone. As nurses, we have been called to transform our health and that of our nation, and we cannot do this alone. It is time to come together, get back to our roots and embrace the practice of wellness, so we can transform our healthcare system, but most importantly heal ourselves and our communities.
Nurses are uniquely poised to be advocates for health and wellness, as we often have the most contact with patients and are viewed as the most trusted healthcare profession. Just as health and wellness happen everywhere, Nurses are everywhere! So let’s join in the wellness movement, and help each other realize our full potential. If you are new to nursing, or thinking about nursing, please contact me, I would love to share my profession with you.
Please share how you are promoting the health and wellness in your homes, workplaces and communities. And ff you are not a registered nurse you can still join in on the fun! Wellness Champions come from all backgrounds and professions.
Blessings to all,
Taura
- Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health.
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