Greetings and Salutations!   May 2010.

"The true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good."  Ann Landers  American columnist.

I hope this finds you in high spirits and good health!    I trust the winter treated you well. We had more snow this winter than we have had for many years!  We hope the Spring will be here longer than the usual two days. (Ok that may be an exaggeration)  It seems that Spring is so short compared to Summer.

We have just experienced Nurses Week at our facility.  It was comforting to hear a "Thank You for the work you do".    Many of our doctors voiced great appreciation of our daily services to our patient populations. Some voiced a forced response, but most were truly thankful to have our assistance.

Some of our patients even thanked us for our work with them.  This was an especially warm feeling, knowing we made a difference in their lives.

We, as nurses, have to appreciate ourselves as well.  We need to stay healthy to better care for our patients.  We need to recognize our limits and respect them, eventhough it may be difficult.

We need to identify the things we have control over and tackle them.  And we need to find ways to let go of the things we cannot control.  We need to manage our stress(es) in healthful ways; exercise, laughter, hobbies and other positive strategies.

We need to make time for ourselves. Savor the triumphs and move beyond the failures in each workday.  Look for ways to grow personally and professionally.

Watch your BACK!  Back injuries are the #1 occupational hazard nurses face.   Make time for you and your family and other loved ones.

Caring is a full time job! I appreciate each and every one of you for your dedication to the nursing profession and to our patient populations.  THANK YOU! 

"My discovery as a patient on the medical service and later in surgery, is that any institution is held together, glued together, and enabled to function as an organism, by the nurses and by nobody else."  Dr. Lewis Thomas, physcian and writer.       

Spring has Sprung!

Seasons of the Heart

Don't think it strange, this trial you bear, this mood of darker hue,

For the joys you knew just yesterday will soon return to you.

Nature has her changing seasons, so, too, the heart of man;

The key to getting through it, though, lies right there in your hand..

Stretch forth that hand to someone else,  yes pass the key to them;

For in helping someone else, that's where your joy will stem,

And that one you've helped to find the sun now holds the precious key,

And someone else locked in darkness is soon to be set free!  

 Denise DeWald, poet

Check the other contact buttons on this site for more information of upcoming events.    

I am so proud of our chapter and what each member brings to this chapter.  My hope is for our knowledge to be shared amongst us for the betterment of our patients.

Sincerely,

Karlene Fuller, President of HRC of  SOHN