This year’s slogan, 4 Million Reasons to Celebrate, is a reminder of how diverse the field of nursing has become. Not only in our personal diversity, yet our profession has become more diverse in scope. Nurses continue to fill the caring need at the bedside in ambulatory, acute and post acute care settings. Nurses serve as lawyers, legislators, corporate leaders, technology experts, teachers, mentors and hopefully space nurses!

What makes nursing such a diverse profession is the constantly evolving need for a healthcare professional to meet patients where they are. As our culture evolves so too must the profession of nursing. We are the voice of the patient at home, at work, in the military and in public. Our evidenced-based training prepares us to meet challenges that are yet to be identified.

In my 30+ year career as a Registered Nurse, I have had the good fortune of working in the Emergency/Trauma Department, flight nursing (both fixed wing and rotary, quality management, performance improvement, leadership and now clinical software development. Each of these roles allowed me to grow and become a better nurse.

Four million nurses, four million reasons to celebrate!