Great point! We don’t lack the number of nurses, we lack the environments that nurses want to work in!

I’m an orthopedic surgical nurse. Hands down best gift our team got for nurses week was from an orthopod( total joints, specializing in revision totals). For the whole week, on purpose he only did patients with a BMI below 30!! And mostly healthy!! One of the best weeks I’ve had in the OR ;)

If your local restaurant is offering a better prize for nurses week than the organization that employs the nurses you might want to reconsider

We haven’t even had “Nurses Week” for the last 5 years or so in California. It’s now dubbed “Hospital Week” and all hospital workers are “celebrated”. So we don’t even have our own week anymore, and the resources that were used for nurses week are now spread across all employees…so the “celebrations” are even more lame. It’s infuriating!

My favorite Nurses Weak (not a typo) gifts were always the hospital branded water bottle or bag, cause I love nothing more than being a glorified walking billboard for the healthcare system I work in.

Nursing has been short staffed since I started in the mid eighties. I had ended up getting out of bedside nursing after 10 years. Staffing was so dangerous and I was afraid of losing my license. I also remember the pot luck dinners that I couldn’t eat, because I was busy running around with my head cut off. I did get into trouble. Because I refused to work extra shifts or hours. I was in and out of the hospital, myself.

Absolutely everything about your video is spot on and sums it all up. I say send this to media outlets and tag media on Twitter- this is 💎💎💎💎💎

On Monday, the same day we got a Nurse's Week appreciation email from my manager, we also received an email blaming our nurses for an issue that multiple nurses tried to fix. I was livid!

A well thought out and presented video. Thank you 🎉

I had to medically retire at age 53 after 35 years of direct patient care. The last place I worked became so toxic in the last 5 years I worked there I ended up with chronic migraines. 35 years and I never worked in a place as toxic as that or was treated in such a way by anyone anywhere else in my career. The bullies got away with it because they were all in with the managers. They wrote people up in situations they should have been helping with or for made up issues, and the rest of us just had to suffer whatever they did to us. They usually got moved to some m-f management or administrative position which seemed more of a reward for them than a repercussion. I would have liked a cushy m-f position. I tried to get accommodation or post off the floor because of the migraines, and was told that accommodation would be a hardship for the employer, and if you go for reassignment you could end in the mailroom for less pay. I really loved nursing and would have liked to retire at 62. The ice cream social we got for nurses week, if we were able to break long enough to eat it, just didn’t cover the toxicity. I don’t know that more money would have at that point either. Another employee they harassed actually dubbed them the mean girls. I wasn’t the only one they gave health issues. Took me many years and some counseling to get through the grief of losing my career.

I agree w you sooo much. That’s why I love listening to your inspirational “rants” 😆. Keep it up we need to be more like you. 💕💕💕🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

On my unit, we usually have enough staff. The problem is the “staffing grid” which determines how many nurses get to work on the unit per shift. We found out during nurses week that they’re changing our grid so that we will always be tripled in the NICU (which is indeed an ICU - we are level III taking babies 22 weeks+) plus charge will always have a baby before they will call anyone additional in. This is leading to us frequently being called off for low census. All in the name of saving the hospital money 😡 I’m so mad about how unsafe this is and how it’s going to affect our babies.

At my job we got a whole potluck for Administrative Professionals appreciation week. None of the executives showed up or contributed. I did not realize that about teachers and nurses week .

I am always in agreement with you. Keep being vocal. Thank you❤

I remember when I was volunteering at the hospital, we made thousands of packets for nurses and physicians week. The nurses went from getting ID holders with some snacks to tote bags, key chains and ID holders. While the physician also got tote bags but it was filled with power bank chargers, flash light and other electronic stuff, somewhat more useful and nicer than the nurses got in their goodie tote bags. Empty gestures by hospital upper management for sure especially with the cards in the tote bags, smiling photos for their PR, and not much food for nurses to eat compares to physicians during the week in what food was offered during those day and night shifts.

Love your videos. As a retired nurse I am slowly having to use the health care machine. Old trauma nurse with broken body. It is sad and scary having worked when things just started going downhill. My mom keeps encouraging me to teach but I’m afraid I would have to fail everyone. New nurses don’t know that There are no do overs in medicine! You kill people! Yet we are not compensated. Sorry but I am so very thankful for this channel and love your colleagues. ❤

Thx for this Liz 👍

A Dinamap in the facility would be great!

Here's my fun "here's what my hospital gave" me story... I was working for a very large religious healthcare system in my city several years ago. For nurses week, they set up a lovely table down in the basement/conference area level where we could take part in the appreciation events and mingle with the other nurses. They had fruit for us-bananas, apples, oranges; granola bars, bottled water, and coffee. I actually thought that was pretty nice. I was also there for "doctors day" just by chance(what should actually be called physicians day in my opinion, unless they intend to celebrate all people who have earned a doctorate in their profession. We are all considered 'doctors' even though we are not 'physicians,' but clearly not important at all in the eyes of this hospital system). For physicians day, they had many tables set out with beautiful tablecloths and was fully catered from salads, to appetizers, to the main course, to dessert. They also had a much more robust beverage selection than water and coffee! In addition, these physicians were given a swag bag full of expensive merchandise. I get that there are so many more nurses employed with this system than there are physicians, so it makes sense that their budget only covered water and bananas for nurses while it covered full catering service and swag bags for physicians. (Physicians also get their own private parking garage with a private elevator into the hospital here). Nurses are a big expense to hospitals and make up a large portion of the payroll. Nurses also are the backbone to keep the entire healthcare system functioning. Without nurses, hospitals would not be able to operate. Happy nurses week everyone!

Our PAs and MDs are generous during nurses' week. The organization... not so much.

Instead of Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole would be a great replacement.

Funny enough I just found out that for nurses week we got a massage chair. One of the really nice one that does arms, legs, and feet along with your back and neck. It’s got it’s own room, with a lamp for ambiance and you need a key to access it. Unfortunately not a lot of people know about it 😂. Or maybe fortunately for me.

(Edit: Many of the replies to this comment are from scammers. Do not give info or money. Do not contact them actually looking for any sort of help. Do, however, enjoy the banter) Hey guys, I have this great idea. Let’s take 1/52nd of the year to half heartedly try to convince nurses that we appreciate them and counteract the other 51/52nds of the year. It will be perfect and will solve all of our nursing problems!

Amen to Patient facing experience for ALL MANAGEMENT positions!!!!

Also nurses week and teachers week are the same week that Mother’s Day lands on.

I’m an oncology RN (outpatient) and our manager scheduled multiple in-services per day for the entire week (2-3 meals per day), she got each of us a tote w/ your name on it with a candle, they held a formal gala over the weekend and gave out awards, and we made custom themed baskets that were raffled off. Still would’ve preferred a raise instead.

I’m wondering if you’re going to talk about the Tristan Kate Smith letter… I’m curious on your thoughts especially because it’s a festering issue underlying all aspects of nursing. Also, because you’re eloquent in talking about tough subjects in the healthcare world and like how in depth with facts and stats. I’d trust you’d do great getting her story out there!

Yeah Nurses week! Great points Liz

I love this so much! I have been saying this for years! If you ever wanna have me on to discuss this topic, i would love to because i have a lot to say lol

Mary Seacole should be the new face of nursing. :)

I’ve actually seen an administrator get a Mercedes and staff get marketing items

Hello Liz! I’ve been following you for a few years now and I’m finally starting Nursing School yay!! However I’m struggling with pharmacology right now. I found lecturio and it’s an amazing resource. I tried to use your discount code but it’s not working, do you have a newer code that I could use? Thank you and keep creating great real content!

WONDER WOMAN!

So happy to see you back! Are you back to the nursing workforce? Tell us how is going for you.

Dear u are looking healthy.can u tel u tell u r fully recover and u stop medications?

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🎯

The pandemic has made everything worse. The score to pass the NCLEX lowered to sixty from seventy-five. Plus the graduates were not adequately educated. A lot of them can't perform basic nursing care(adequate assessments, critical thinking, the importance of having attention to detail, etc). It takes them six months to a year to learn what they should have learn what they should have learned in school. I'm tired of working short staffed with nurses who don't have a clue. That is one of the many reasons I'm leaving the bedside. I'm going to work in IT. I have 20+ years as a critical care nurse. And there is not enough money in the world to get me back to the bedside

I've seen it go twi ways. Nurses week is officially hospital week so everyone partakes or nurses week is nurses week, but everyone partakes. Thr kicker is that other professions get 'their' week, but other professions like nurses aren't allowed to participate because it's to celebrate those professions, like doctors or techs

It’s also the same link as correctional officers week and they are the most underappreciated staff as well as I am married to one of the most hard-working correctional officers there are. They gave them a fanny pack a freaking fanny pack. Thanks three of their staff were murdered literally beat to death two years ago. Gee thanks

we got an ice cream freezer in the break room that says "smart foods! get your vitamins, minerals, and fruits here" and also an embossed bento box and a pizza party. it's a great day to be a nurse, eat cholesterol and sugar and then save the leftovers in my new bento box.

A lot of years while I was still working, was the junk food bags that were distributed to the unit for each shift. While I guess we should have been grateful that we on the night shift actually got our own bag of crap (candy, salty snacks, soda, and the occasional granola bar or apple), and a voucher for an ice cream sundae in the cafeteria, we’re already not eating well or taking care of ourselves. It just added insult injury. But hey, a couple of lesser administrators did get up in the middle of the night to scoop your ice cream and give a fake smile, like they really cared. I’d have taken any one of your suggestions over that meaningless garbage. That’s why, though I gave it my best shot, after 40 years, and even though I was only 62, I walked away. It was either that, or have a total breakdown and potentially not be around to enjoy retirement. It was a hardship for sure, but worth it in the long run, especially now that I’m finally 65, can collect my hard earned pension and Social Security, and breathe a little easier. Although it made me a little sad, last year, instead of pausing my license like I did previously, I opted to let it lapse. To me, it was the final door that need3d to close in that chapter of my career.

my first nurses week i got 2 oreos.

Replace Florence Nightingale with Catherine McAuley

That opening statement... Drag these admin!!!! A pen and a pin and some food ugh thank you for the appreciation I guess. Also yes, Miss Flo has to go! But quick shout out to my nurses! New, experienced, fellow ICU (represent!), med/surg, stepdown, ED, LTACH... I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Please talk about psych nurses who take care of the mentally illness

Our nurse's appreciation week was changed to hospital appreciation week...😐

I have to disagree (to some extent). Yes, money hungry hospitals is part of the problem. But the bigger part is money hungry insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies, and biomedical engineering and software companies, etc.

A massage chair in each nurse "break" room.

I heard cookies came to the break room...

I got a granola bar.

Hmm...Nurses week falls under the same time we have the annual employee survey month. Go figure.

Thankfully working in Urology pee breaks are encouraged... our surgeons don't want to have to operate on their staff haha

Same as CO appreciation week lol

I work in genetics and turns out that when genetic testing companies are for profit, they actually bring costs down to be affordable for the consumer. Most of the time my patients can get testing cheaper out of pocket than via insurance

LMFAO we just got an email thanking us for all our hard work.

Nurses Week? NO MORE TOTE BAGS! Also, how about the nurses take all the pizza party pizzas and go up and plunk the pile of boxes down on the CEO's desk.

Your hobby is taking to a recording!

What is this about the hospital forcing you to buy a shirt? Sounds like something to sue over?

when nurses complain about nurses week i tell them about lab week 😂

I promise the statistics are worse.

Congratulations, here is your stale pizza left over from day shift. Oh, by the way hurry up and eat it because you are being pulled to another unit you know nothing about and where no one there will help you at all!!!!!

This is not help?

Mother's and fathers only get one day. Enough with all the virtue signaling. Nobody is really getting paid enough if their job requires physical risk to their personal safety. Let's start THERE.

Horrible oerson