Each year, from May 6 to May 12, we celebrate National Nurses Week, a time to recognize and celebrate the differentiator in our healthcare system, our nurses. The Bureau of Health Workforce estimates there are 4.3 million actively licensed professional nurses in the United States, making nursing the country’s largest healthcare profession.
At MountainView Regional Medical Center, I have the privilege of working alongside a team of exceptionally talented nurses who utilize their expertise, skill and compassion to serve our community every day. A nurse may be the first face a baby sees as they enter the world or the last face a patient sees as they are comforted at the end of their life.
We are proud, at MountainView, to serve as the area’s only designated Level III trauma center, where our nurses serve on the front lines of critical, life-saving care. This designation means we are equipped to handle serious emergencies, and our nurses are a vital part of the team in providing that care. Our nurses pivot in a moment’s notice to make critical decisions, deliver lifesaving care, celebrate some of life’s most precious moments and support families during the most challenging of times.
The theme for National Nurses Week is The Power of Nurses to Transform Health. At MountainView, we are transforming how nursing graduates transition to practice with the launch of our new Nurse Residency Program, which adheres to the program guidelines set forth by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Nurse residency programs improve quality outcomes, decrease costs, improve retention rates and decrease nursing turnover. Nurse residency programs are the gold standard for transition from academia to professional nursing practice, and we aim to give our nurses access to that gold standard here at home.
Whether it’s a nurse in the emergency department comforting a family during the unthinkable, a hospice nurse supporting a patient and family during the end of life, a school nurse managing the chronic conditions of our children or an acute care nurse helping a patient improve and return home, nurses are at the helm of our healthcare system. Join us in celebrating these incredible healthcare professionals during National Nurses Week — and each and every day!
Dr. AJ Stephens is the chief nursing officer of MountainView Regional Medical Center and holds an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Business Administration, specializing in healthcare administration, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice, specializing in executive leadership. Dr. Stephens is a member of the American and Texas Nursing Associations, a board member and president of The Texas Organization for Nursing Leadership and the Wolters Kluwer Publishing's Nursing Management Congress Conference planning panel.
