SOUND OFF: Celebrating National Nursing Week
NURSES ARE THE BACKBONE of our healthcare system. They don’t just support our physical health, they carry the emotional weight of care with empathy, strength and grace. Their skill, commitment and compassion shape the experiences of patients and families every single day across British Columbia.
This National Nursing Week, from May 12 to 18, we celebrate the theme “Changing Lives: Shaping Tomorrow,” an acknowledgment of the power nurses holds to transform health care and build stronger, healthier communities.
As a registered nurse for over 25 years, it has been the honor of my life to serve in this role, working across British Columbia in hospitals, rural communities, long-term care homes and community health settings. I’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most dedicated, selfless and courageous people I have ever known; incredible nurses who show up every day, often in the face of great personal sacrifice, to deliver comfort, dignity and healing to those in need.
There are moments in a nurse’s life that stay with you forever. Twice, during international travel in the early 2000s, I responded to in-flight medical emergencies. Later, in 2021, I was able to help my MLA colleague in the middle of committee meeting.
