The party began at five … five o’clock in the morning, that is. What, you may ask, could possibly excuse a normal adult from scorn if they’re partying on a Monday at 5am? The answer: the partiers are nurses. If you know a nurse – and who doesn’t in this age? – then you know the crazy schedules many of them keep. You also know that the hours they spend helping others often translate to a neglect of their own needs.
Angela Malott, a nurse working in Hurley Hospital’s Neurotrauma Intensive Care Unit, helped plan a party to coordinate with National Nurses Week (For those who forgot about it and need to buy flowers for their spouse, it was May 6-10). When asked why she wanted to be involved, Angela said, “We wanted this event to be a celebration of nurses for nurses, to recognize their daily commitment to hard work.”
On-air personalities from local radio station WWCK 105.5 FM were present from 6-10am to speak with the nurses who stopped by the party before or after their shifts. The hospital arranged for prizes and pampering at the event, such as massage therapy, makeovers by Mary Kay Cosmetics and a variety of gift cards for use outside of the hospital. The key word at Hurley is family, said Teresa Bourque, Chief Nurse and Senior Administrator. “The teams take care of each other, and that is the most consistent theme at this hospital. We extend this welcome to our patients, and it really does make the quality of our care that much better,” she explained.
PHOTOS BY TRACI TURNER
