Views from the Shore
By Brian Cahill
Each year, nurses across the country are honored during National Nurses Week, beginning on May 6 and concluding on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. As the son of a nurse, I saw my mother’s commitment to her profession and the special relationships she had with her patients, evident through the stories she shared.
For the past eight years as Marketing Director at Shore Medical Center, I have been fortunate to see that same dedication in each of the skilled and talented nurses at Shore Medical Center. I have come to realize that there is truly something special inside a nurse, something few of us possess, but something for which we should be grateful.
While we all have been affected by a nurse somehow, I wanted to use this column to provide you with an inside view of nursing, so I sat down with Shore Medical Center’s Chief Nursing Officer, Holly Badali, RN, to get her insight and perspective.
“Nurses are pretty remarkable people,” said Badali. “Nursing is definitely a calling. There is something inside nurses that gives them an incredible joy to be able to care for someone. Sometimes they are direct caregivers. Other times they are patient advocates, and almost always, they are counted on to provide comfort and be a good listener.”
After Holly said that to me, she paused, and her demeanor changed and took a more serious tone as she reflected on the pandemic.
“Go back to March 2020. People were scared. Loved ones were dying. It was terrifying. But what did nurses do while most others were home? They marched on in to the hospitals, putting others before themselves, and courageously went to work.”
“I think about the donning and doffing of the PPE – it was like a science fiction movie,” Holly continued. “Emotionally, it was draining, but nurses remained mentally and physically strong despite it all. Think about all the times they were told that there was light at the end of the tunnel, only to learn there was a new variant, complication, or something else. But they never gave up and kept coming back for their patients.”
With the national Covid emergency ending in mid-May, nurses face new challenges, but once again, they are proving to be up to the task.
“We’ve seen a significant uptick in this country with behavioral health issues, and many have not bounced back from the stress of the past three years,” said Badali. “Some have lost their coping skills, but nurses never did.”
“Nurses care for people at their weakest and sickest moments but also their happiest,” she continued. “They are there when a beautiful baby is born, and they are there to help patients at end-of-life die with dignity. Nurses are there for patients and their families at every stage during the circle of life.”
Before our chat ended, I asked Holly if she could sum up her thoughts on nurses in a few words. She looked back at me, smiled, and exclaimed,
“I’d say we’re pretty damn good! Nurses are my heroes!”
Well, Holly, I’d say that we all agree with you. Happy Nurses Week to you and all our brave, courageous, compassionate and skilled nurses.
Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing for Shore Medical Center and Shore Physicians Group. He is also on the Board of the Somers Point Business Association and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University.
