National Nurses Week - Fortis on the Frontlines Series
In 1991, the American Nurses Association established National Nurses Week as a time to recognize the selfless caregivers who serve their communities. Each year celebrations culminate on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is widely recognized as the “mother of modern nursing.” On the 200th anniversary of her birth, the World Health Organization announced 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. In the spirit of Nurses Week and the Year of the Nurse, this week’s posts will highlight nursing graduates and students who are serving on the frontlines of COVID-19 across the country.
There has been nothing like this in three decades.
Christian Thompson, a Fortis Institute Nashville LPN to RN student, is on the front lines of COVID-19 as he works to save lives in New Jersey:
“In my 34 years of nursing as an LPN, I have worked in a level one trauma center, but it was nothing like this. Nothing in my career prepared me for what I have experienced while working on an active COVID-19 unit. We get direct admissions of COVID-positive patients from the emergency room every day, but we do not have enough supplies for the patients and staff.
I just started the RN program last month and I am very excited to complete my RN degree. The support of my team, faculty and classmates has been so helpful as I navigate working in the trenches while studying. I can’t thank them enough for their calls, cards, support reminding me I am working for good of all people.
While I am scared, I also am proud to be here. I won’t quit. I pray every day to keep my health so I can make it through.”
We are proud of Christian and other nursing students who continue the fight against COVID-19. To learn more about the nursing programs at Fortis Colleges & Institutes, St. Paul’s School of Nursing and Denver College of Nursing, please click here.