What Ebola Has Done for Nursing

Jacqueline.Damm

When the accusatory headlines rang out about Dallas the nursing population of the World ignited into a burst of support. As nursing students we began our career instilled with a sense of protection and pride that reaches further than our daily patient assignments. This incredible characteristic presents as a suit of armor enabling us to educate, medicate, encourage and assist in the healing of those who come into contact with our holistic focus. As soon as our integrity becomes threatened or questioned, that armor shifts into a wild beating heart open and exposed to the World unashamed of that resounding pride.

Ebola has presented numerous concerns for the nursing population and the World at large. The story that isn't being told rings with positivity and unity, power and enforcement. It all began with a voice brave enough to contest to accusations when our popular media had no other goal than to slander the nursing profession in a time of need. Few disgruntled voices have grown into an international outcry from nurses across the globe thus awakening all open minds to the shortcomings in healthcare. The battlefront has been preaching these issues for many years but it has taken the unfortunate situation of an epidemic to finally give heed to desperate need and a call to arms.

The nursing profession may go as far as to thank the media for their accusations concerning Nina Pham. Without the media's poor attention to the details of the situation, knowledge of access to materials in the hospital, or staffing and budget cuts, we never would have had a catalyst "appropriate enough" to request proper protection of staff. The badgering and bullying facing one of our own stung our nursing pride so deeply and with such voracity that it took less than 24 hours for an apology to be written and televised. Why an apology? Because the nursing population would not allow for the improper presentation of facts in a situation that could have been avoided had there been appropriate access to protective equipment and education. Our World has come to realize that nurses will stand their ground, yell from rooftops, hold international teleconferences and write major political entities on any issue facing their practice. We have a strong bond between mind, body and spirit of which makes us incapable of staying quiet when the need is strong.

As professional nurses we have the ability to look at each other's situation and sympathize. For those outside of our scope of practice, recent events have forced people to open their eyes and truly see what it means to be a constituent of the healthcare community. As nurses we have always had each other to lean on in times of difficulty and crisis. What has always been important, if not more now, is having the support of those who write policies, professionals outside of healthcare and any other ear that is inclined to hear our pleas. All things considered, Ebola in the personal and international sense has given us the gift of a platform to stand on and a means of sharing testimonies to invoke change and growth.

Historically, nursing has always been a powerful career that requires those strong in heart, mind and spirit. We have known from the very beginning that there will always be a battle to fight in the form of our own rights as well as advocacy. As much as it is our job to care for our patients, we cannot care for them appropriately without the means of doing so for ourselves. As the World expands in commercial growth, populations rise and transportation means increase between great nations, cases such as Ebola are going to become more prevalent. This is ultimately the expectation of a planet that is in forward motion, because with growth it is inevitable.

Ebola has done more than caused rampant illness, death and policy changes. It has given nurses a voice that has been heard. We now know that multiple voices standing together as one has more power and pull than one or few alone (with no further support).

Through this disease we are learning to tap into our pride, stand together as one, be pro-active about encouraging change, using the platforms given to us and taking charge when we know that an overhaul of the system is needed. This will not be the last time that we will need to be loud and proud of our accomplishments or our expectations.

As devastating and debilitating as Ebola has presented it's reach we are blessed to have this time to truly be a team with a common goal and a vision for the betterment of our patient's lives as well as our own. Our fight will never be in vain as long as we strive for what's right and we expect the same, if not more, than what is expected of us.

May the road ahead be full of obstacles in order that we may pave a path of integrity and strength. Full speed ahead my friends, full speed.

**tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN, RN** · Nov 1, 2014

Thank you for this fantastic article!!

Let's not forget what we as nurses can do when we stand united and let our collective voice be heard.

**sirI, MSN, APRN, NP** · Nov 1, 2014

Through this disease we are learning to tap into our pride, stand together as one, be pro-active about encouraging change, using the platforms given to us and taking charge when we know that an overhaul of the system is needed.

Very excellent!

"tap into our pride"

I love that.

Thank you for a great Article.

MissyWrite · Nov 1, 2014

we never would have had a catalyst "appropriate enough" to request proper protection of staff.

I'd like to think that our protection was always a catalyst that was 'appropriate enough,' and I wish it didn't take the worst disease on earth to get nurses to speak up.

Through this disease we are learning to tap into our pride, stand together as one, be pro-active about encouraging change, using the platforms given to us and taking charge when we know that an overhaul of the system is needed.

Yes, and this is a very good thing! I hope we won't fade into the background again.

Nicely done. Thank you.

Jacqueline.Damm · Nov 2, 2014

Thank you everyone, I am currently working through an issue at my current hospital that isn't related to Ebola, but it is focused on safety (as well as patient advocacy). It's funny, advice we give versus what we take are two totally different things. I'm still learning to do both! We are so strong when standing together, and right now, I am trying to rally my coworkers to stand as one and make our voices be heard!

I appreciate all of you for responding. We are worth protection in every form of the word and we are worth so much more than that as well. My family and friends who have read this article vocalized that people in healthcare as well as teachers have the same arguments. All of this is surely something to think about and act upon. Let's not stop here!

**herring_RN, ASN, BSN** · Nov 2, 2014

I hope we nurses insist that hospital management listen to their nurses.

Hospitals exist because patients need nursing care. Our work is the purpose of a hospital

Nurses were asking and insisting our management prepare for the event of an Ebola patient.

Until a patient was diagnosed in Texas most hospitals ignored their nurses.

It is time to let the public and hospital executives know that we need adequate equipment, sufficient supplies, and safe staffing for all our patients.

Failure to add staff to allow needed extra time for isolation precautions was already an issue. Now will they listen. If not will we tell the public we need more staff to properly care for infectious patients and protect everyone.

If even a small percent of us work together on our units we can improve our hospitals and save lives.

What is good for nurses is good for patients.

strategy · Nov 3, 2014

Great article. Thank you for supporting nurses.

Dangerous · Nov 9, 2014

Great post! (Had trouble finding it, because the allnurses email newsletter had your post links linking to a different allnurses post. Entering your post's title into allnurse's search box saved the day!!)

Agree 100% w/ herring_RN 's Nov 2 comment that hospitals exist because patients need nursing care. Am retired former RN, but am so glad to see nurses banding together as advocates for patient and staff safety. God bless you for the hard work you do.

**herring_RN, ASN, BSN** · Nov 12, 2014

Nurses Begin Strikes Across Globe for Better Ebola Protections

A wave of hospital vigils, rallies and strikes are beginning to snake across the globe today, as 100,000 registered nurses press for greater protections for health care workers treating the deadly Ebola virus.

In Washington, DC, National Nurses United will hold a vigil and press conference outside of the White House later this afternoon, in conjunction with strikes and rallies at hospitals and federal buildings already taking place throughout the country.

Similar events will also be held in Canada, Australia, Spain, Ireland and the Philippines, in what the organization is calling "Global Ebola Awareness Day."...

http://blogs.rollcall.com/healthopolis/nurses-begin-strikes-across-globe-for-better-ebola-protections/?dcz=