Nursing is one of the most important professions in the world. With your help, numerous lives are saved on a daily basis. This, however, comes with a large amount of hard work and stressors. That is why we want to inspire you to carry on doing the amazing work you are doing, to not give up when times are tough.
There are occurrences that happen in time that leave a mark on the history of the world. One of these events was, of course, the Spanish Flu which tore through the events of World War One. Now, in the 21st Century, we are living in another: the CoronaVirus. There are always heroes who emerge in world-affecting moments like these and this article is aimed at singling two brave women out for their contributions during these two pandemics. Their feats of strength in difficult times stand out among the already incredible work being done by nurses and we hope they provide you with a glimmer of hope!
Katherine Hannah put her nursing skills to the test at the frontlines of World War One. She answered the Red Cross’ call and became one of the first women to volunteer for military service. She served as a field nurse for the U.S. Army where she quickly became a head nurse. During this time she contributed greatly to treating all soldiers suffering from the Spanish Flu, saving many lives. Her actions encourage nurses to step up when help is needed and never stop fighting the good fight to save patients.
As nurses, you are all aware of the devastating events of COVID-19 and have all stepped up to the challenge to protect your people from this disease. Because of this, you understand the effort which goes into taking care of people. One modern hero who has been inspiring nurses all over the world is Freda Staebler. Nominated as one of the “Heroes of Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, Freda worked as a factory worker for 16 years until she finally realized her dream of becoming a nurse. Staebler said in a post on Facebook that “A friend that used to work in the factory with me encouraged me to leave and do my nurse’s training. She said I had what it took to be a Groote Schuur nurse”.
She began the pandemic working as an orthopedic nurse, but when the effects of the pandemic began to occur she transferred to the COVID-19 ward. Though she admits that there have been immense downfalls during this time, her message to other nurses is that of hope. She encourages others in the healthcare industry to keep positive and focus on the silver linings. She mentioned in an interview that what keeps her going through this turbulent time is the smile on a patient’s face when they get told they are being discharged. She encourages nurses to find these little moments of joy and be grateful for them.
As nurses, you have been fighting at the forefront of the battle against the CoronaVirus. This makes you a hero too. We encourage you to take inspiration from women like Staebler and Hannah and keep on being the wonderful workers that you are! Everyone at Adevia Health is grateful for the amazing work you do and we guarantee complete support in getting you to achieve all of your dreams so that you can continue to do amazing things in a new and exciting country!
