Dear MNA Members,
There are so many powerful images of nurses – carrying babies from a hospital on fire. Holding the hand of a dying patient. Standing on a picket line, either one of ours or that of a fellow Union. We see a bright young newly licensed nurse beaming with diploma in hand as well as a seasoned nurse sharing a lifetime of experience.
Of all the postings I've seen on social media, the one that resonates with me is the image of nurses in scrubs walking down a hallway while superheroes bow in respect.
The overwhelming feeling is of nurses just doing their jobs. That's what we do – save lives for a living. Welcome new lives into the world and compassionately witness as a human being in our care leaves this world, and everything in between.
We share joy with our patients, and work diligently to provide comfort to those experiencing loss of either physical or mental health.
The challenges of the pandemic may have diminished slightly but remain the same. And every day
we arrive at work ready to just do our jobs. This task has not been made any easier. We continue to fight for the resources to do our jobs, and that fight continues.
I salute every nurse this week and every week. We recognize our worth as we say to management: no cupcakes, no pizza. We frontline healthcare professionals want, and will continue to work for safe staffing, safe workplaces and to assure all our patients have access to high-quality care.
Happy Nurses Week.
In Solidarity,
Katie Murphy, RN
President, Massachusetts Nurses Association
Tell everyone you know on social media #WhatNursesReallyWant.
Get started: www.massnurses.org/WhatNursesReallyWant
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