Popcorn in hand, an NCF Nurses group in Delaware kicked off Nurses Week with Movie Night. They selected the inspirational film, NURSES If Florence Could See Us Now,* which explores the complex, exciting and challenging world of being a nurse. The film portrays the realities of nursing -- its joys and sorrows -- and the many ways that nurses impact the lives of others.
What would Florence say today? One nurse quoted in the movie said, "Florence was only one nurse, and we are still talking about her today. Each of us is only one nurse, yet what a difference we each can make." A nurse from the NCF group thought Florence foresaw the advancement of nursing and the advancement in technology.
“My take-home message was that we all need to be united,” said NCF leader Lisa Rossi. “The movie points out that if nurses unite together, their voice would be the largest of any profession in the country, more than three million strong.”
“I really recommend this movie to all nursing school instructors to show their students,” Lisa adds. In the movie, a nursing instructor sees that her student did not have a compassionate or caring attitude towards a patient. The instructor asked the student, "Who do you care about the most?" The student replied, “My mom.” The instructor said, “When you take care of your patients, I want you to see your mom.” The student started to cry. She knew that the instructor was trying to show her what was already inside her. She was focusing on the procedure part of nursing, and not bringing the two aspects together. “One of our group members, Georgia, reminds herself of this when she gets frustrated at work because it brings her back to where she should be,” Lisa said.
One of the group members noticed that there were many spiritual aspects of nursing mentioned in the movie and especially appreciated the description of a nurse as "truly blessed, and lovingly chosen." She loved this description.
Another message from the movie was that just the presence of the nurse who holds a hand or listens can impact the patient. A nurse pointed out that Florence Nightingale’s model of nursing was very spiritual and we have gotten away from this. We have "taken a detour" and made the practice a physical body model, reducing the patient to an object. The group decided this was something needing improvement in nursing.
At the event, the NCF group also displayed nursing memorabilia as a "blast from the past" that prompted fun memories of nursing practice in previous decades. They are going to display these items at the prayer breakfast they are hosting Saturday, May 11, to wrap up Nurses Week.
The NCF group enjoys their fellowship together and embraces their mission. Lisa concludes, “We feel so blessed to be able to spread the love of Jesus not only in our profession, but with our patients and the rest of the world.”
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* This film is a project of On Nursing Excellence (ONE). Watch the movie trailer or order the DVD.
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