Page 24 - SOUTH FLORIDA HOSPITAL NEWS MAY 2021

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Nursing..

Fortis College Honors

the Nursing Profession

BY CAROL NEWMAN

Since this time last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every part
of our lives and our communities. Arguably, no single profession has been more
impacted than nursing and National Nurses Week, May 6-12 is the ideal time to rec-
ognize the contributions nurses have made and continue to make. Nursing has often
been referred to as a calling, rather than a job and that is very true today.
From nursing homes to hospitals, clinics to schools, nurses across the country have
risen to the call, donned personal protective equipment, and provided care and com-
fort to patients who, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, have found themselves alone,
without family or friends for support. In the South Florida area, like the rest of the
country, nurses have gone far above and beyond to provide loving comfort to patients
who are lonely and scared.
In 1974 President Nixon issued a proclamation designating National Nurses Week
to be May 6-12, ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Nightingale is known as
the founder of modern nursing. While caring for wounded soldiers during the
Crimean War in the mid-19th century, she observed more soldiers were dying from
illness caused by unsanitary conditions than their battle wounds. Her implementation
of improved hygiene practices and better nutrition is credited with saving thousands
of lives. Nightingale's set an example of compassion, commitment to patient care and
diligent and thoughtful hospital administration that impacts the profession still.
Today, new nurses recite the Nightingale pledge or a variation during their formal pin-
ning ceremony at the conclusion of their training.

I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence
of this assembly to pass my life in purity and to
practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious
and mischievous and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
Nurses (def):
Fortis College in Cutler Bay offers both an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) pro-
Heroes in different uniforms gram and a Practical Nursing (PN) course of study. In both programs, nursing theory
guides clinical practice. For those who wish to pursue training to become registered
nurses, the comprehensive curriculum of the ADN program provides the knowledge
Thank you for your and hands-on clinical skills to prepare students to sit for the NCLEX licensure exam
and, after successfully passing the licensing exam, pursue careers as entry-level reg-
uncompromising dedication. istered nurses.
The Practical Nursing curriculum at Fortis provides the theory, laboratory and clin-
ical experiences to prepare students to sit for the NCLEX practical nursing licensure
exam and pursue an entry-level position in Practical Nursing. The clinical portion of
Happy diverse patient populations in hospitals and other health care agencies. In addition,
the PN nursing curriculum includes hands-on experience providing nursing care to
the clinical portion of the PN program will enable the student to observe first-hand
the behaviors that are crucial to employability.
The enhanced visibility of the nursing profession has increased interest in nursing as a
Nurses Week! career. If you are interested in joining this heroic profession, please contact Fortis College

at (855) 436-7867 or visit fortis.edu/programs/nursing to learn more.

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24 May 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News