HGMH Celebrates Nursing Week

It's the first day of national Nursing Week and the Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) community is eager to celebrate the 37 Registered Nurses (RNs), 28 Registered Practical Nurses (RPN), and 7 Personal Support Workers (PSW) whose care and dedication are at the heart of our hospital.

Hospital CEO Linda Morrow says Nursing Week, held each May to coincide with the birth of Florence Nightingale (the founder of modern nursing), is a great way to recognize the important work that nurses do every day. "I'm proud to take the opportunity presented by Nursing Week to salute our HGMH nursing staff. They work diligently to provide outstanding care to our patients, exemplifying our values of integrity, respect, quality and safety, compassion, and working together," she says.

HGMH has several activities planned for Nursing Week, from a coffee day (with refreshments donated by physicians) to a vendor night featuring nursing supplies to a night out at a local pizza place.

Shelley Coleman, HGMH's VP of Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer, says she wants to recognize nursing staff at all levels and celebrate the ways they work together. "We're all one team. From the PSWs to the RPNs to the RNs to the nursing supervisors and management, we're all trying to provide the safest and highest quality of care for our patients," she says.

Dale Eastwood, an RPN in the Medicine and Rehabilitation units and the hospital's health and safety/wellness coordinator, says that the sense of community among all nursing staff is one reason she enjoys working at HGMH. "The nurses I work with at HGMH have provided me with a safe and receptive learning environment. In conjunction with my classroom education, I've learned by being attentive, by listening, by asking questions and by watching RNs and physicians," she says.

Eastwood adds that recognition of Nursing Week, or even the everyday thanks she hears from patients and their families, makes a challenging job even more worthwhile. "Nursing isn't for the faint of heart. It's emotionally, mentally, and sometimes physically exhausting," says Eastwood. "When a patient or their family recognizes that you have tried to help them, it's a wonderful feeling that lingers with you for a long time."

She also says she's looking forward to the celebrations of the week ahead. "Nursing Week allows us to come together out of uniform and off the units, just to enjoy each other's company. If you see a large group of people between May 8th and 14th having lunch or supper in Alexandria and they are loud and laughing hysterically, they just may be in the nursing profession."