Uplifting Unsung Heroes: The Heartbeat of Healthcare Celebrated in International Year

The Heartbeat of Healthcare: Celebrating the Unsung Heroes

May 7, 2023

By UCLA Health Staff

4 min read

Today we honor nurses and midwives worldwide, who serve as beacons of compassion for patients everywhere, marking their invaluable role in supporting healthy societies. As they celebrate the International Year dedicated to them, we their global contributions - a workforce totaling over 27 million strong.

UCLA Health's 3,800 nurses are leaders in patient care every day, providing skilled and compassionate care around-the-clock. As an integral connection for patients, families, and healthcare teams, they represent the core mission of healthcare: caring for those who need it most.

Natalie Wray, Assistant Nurse Manager at the ICU of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, acknowledges that while dealing with COVID-19 presents extreme challenges, she believes this is a defining moment in their profession. She empathizes with concerns about personal exposure and the fear of bringing illness home to loved ones. But, she states emphatically, our most powerful gift as nurses may be our ability to bear witness to someone's experience of fear or uncertnty - to let them know they are not alone.

Wray’s words resonate deeply: The nurse is both a caregiver who heals wounds and soothes anxieties, and also an advocate for the patient. A sentiment that echoes through time, much like Walt Whitman’s poetic musings on his nursing experiences during the Civil War:

I thread my way through hospitals I pacify hurt and wounded with soothing hands I sit by the restless all the dark nightSome are so young, some suffer so muchI recall sweet moments of care that is both sad and beautiful.

As we celebrate this International Year of the Nurse and Midwife alongside May’s National Nurses Month, particularly amidst unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, their roles have never been more crucial.

The World Health Organization WHO, recognizing this moment, highlights that nurses play a vital role in each phase of crises from conflict displacement to healthcare emergencies like pandemics.

Their courage and resilience are on display dly as they navigate uncertnty, treating patients while mntning personal safety protocols. Nurses understand the experience intimately; their interactions provide invaluable feedback for improving patient care.

Shadman Habibi, certified nurse midwife and supervisor at UCLA Midwifery Service, understands this well. Despite the uncertnties brought by COVID-19, she reassures expectant mothers visiting UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica that their risk is minimal due to strict safety measures in place. Her work empowers women to achieve self-confidence and reach their full potential.

In this International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and National Nurses Month, let us acknowledge and celebrate the tireless efforts of our healthcare heroes. Their dedication to saving lives during times of adversity is nothing short of extraordinary.
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