While much is currently said about the critical importance of mental health, considerably less awareness is typically directed to the true superheroes of the healthcare system: nurses. National Nurses Week is upon us, and as a leading nurse staffing agency, Advanced Home Care Solutions is pleased to take this opportunity to celebrate these often-unsung heroes.
National Nurses Week is held every May to coincide with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Celebrating its 202nd year, this event honours nurses worldwide for the selfless care they provide and their sacrifices for their communities. The last two years in particular have posed exceptional challenges to the healthcare system, and nurses have worked tirelessly on the front lines to ensure that people who need help are cared for – at great cost to the nurses and other healthcare workers’ morale and mental health. While they showed extraordinary commitment and professionalism in the midst of the pandemic crisis, they have become exhausted and overwhelmed.
Generally speaking, nursing is a stressful profession, and a deadly pandemic only exacerbated that dynamic. The challenges facing front-line healthcare workers are more pronounced than ever, as COVID-19 highlighted problems that were already crippling the Canadian care system: underfunding, insufficient staffing, PPE shortages and many others. This broken system must be fixed, and we can start by saluting the courage and dedication of the professionals that work within it. Nurses need to know how valuable their contributions are, and how much they are appreciated. Our healthcare system depends on the commitment and work of registered practical nurses (RPNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, community organizations and patients’ homes.
As one of Canada’s leading nurse staffing agencies, Advanced Home Care Solutions recognizes the critical role that nursing professionals play in the healthcare ecosystem. We take great pride in the AHCS nursing teams. All designations of our nursing staff – RNs, LPNs and RCAs – have been rigorously vetted, thoroughly reference-checked, and receive extra training in Workplace Civility, COVID and PPE. We value and nurture strong relationships with these healthcare superstars, who are then inspired to bring quality services to the communities and clients who need them. AHCS is an agency that promotes knowledge transfer and collaboration so that our nursing staff can grow their skillset and capitalize on teaching opportunities. We also pride ourselves on maintaining a workplace that fosters inclusivity so that our carefully curated nursing teams of dedicated, highly-qualified professionals can experience work that is truly fulfilling. We believe that when workers are respected and supported, it naturally follows that those same values are consistently overlaid onto client and patient relationships.
Although nursing professionals deserve to be celebrated year-round, Advanced Home Care Solutions is rolling out the red carpet for them during National Nurses Week. We need to care for those who care for us.