Is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
Nurses play an essential part in many aspects of the adoption process, especially during the hospital interval. The American Nurses’ Association Code of Ethics with Interpretive Statements (2001) Provision 1 says that, “The Nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems” (p. 7). However, as anyone can imagine, hospital-based nurses deal with some very distinctive experiences when adoption is a part of a patient’s plan. Suzanne M. Weathers, MSN, RN, and Lead Nurse Planner at Spaulding for Children has written an interesting piece on this subject entitled “The Hospital Interval,” and in it she says, “The challenge for the nursing staff is how to provide care that meets the needs of the members of the adoption triad they have contact with during the interval.”
Having that said, Adoption STAR staff and clients alike have countless stories of compassionate, sensitive, thoughtful nurses. The interactions that nurses have with all members of the adoption triad during labor, delivery, and the postpartum interval prior to discharge from the hospital become a storied part of the adoption experience, in that they are ALWAYS remembered….by all parties involved.
Thank you, nurses! Your kind actions and excellent care mean more than you might realize to many, many adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees. Happy National Nurses Week!
Read More on What is Happening at Adoption STAR: Our Calendar of Events for 2013