National Nurses’ Week begins May 6 and ends on Florence Nightingale’s birthday May 12, a celebration demonstrating appreciation and acknowledgment for nurses. Some people have always known they wanted to be nurses, perhaps born into families in which nursing and medicine are a tradition. As a trauma nurse, nursing represented doing the impossible, beating the enemy, giving family members a second chance at new beginnings, or providing the opportunity to say goodbye. Why nursing? I did not choose nursing, it chose me, and I am proud and grateful for the experience.

Nurse-managed health centers are becoming more common, and thanks to recent healthcare trends they are likely to keep expanding the range of services they offer. Read this Exclusive Interview with Donna Torrisi, M.S.N., the Founding Director for the first Nurse-Managed Federally Qualified Health Center.

Many of those who have been in the job market, military, raising children, or caring for elderly parents may question whether or not they have the time, energy, sustained interest, or patience to go back to school. Continuing education is often a back burner item simply because life jumps in to rearrange priorities. Whether the desire to continue one’s education is new or renewed, some folks still entertain nagging questions about timing.

Talk to anyone who has been hospitalized or visited someone in the hospital and they will likely tell you about the nurses. The person who is most hands-on is usually the nurse, whose job includes acting as an advocate for patients and their family members. There is no degree program for caring, no certification for compassion, no increased pay grade for concern, no bonus for being helpful and considerate, but all of these things live within a good nurse.

The ways in which nurses were educated and practiced during the 20th century are no longer adequate for dealing with the realities of health care in the 21st century. To handle increasing complexities of care and greater responsibilities, nurses will need more education and training. Learn why and find accredited online nursing degree programs that will position you to become a nursing leader.