NY Nurse: February 2022

Black History Month is one of my favorite times of the year. “It is an opportunity to honor the luminaries who came before us and celebrate the justice seekers still among us,” said Judith Cutchins, RN.

School nurses are on the front lines, but when one thinks about the nursing profession, many people do not see or understand these nurses’ plight. That’s why NYSNA sat down with several nurses who work in school settings to learn more about their day-to-day work and what they need to thrive. Below is a lightly edited interview with Valerie Deacon, RN, at the Alleghany Health Office with the Lindenhurst School District.

Can you tell our readers about your background and work?

It is not an overstatement to say that the past couple of years has been filled with trauma upon trauma. We have lost loved ones and friends. We have worked in less-than-ideal circumstances. We have experienced gaslighting by employers. We have held the sorrow of colleagues as well as patients, their families and communities. And yet we are still here.

It is a new year, but nurses continue to experience the same challenges that have plagued the profession for years. One of the biggest threats to the nursing profession is understaffing. Although nurses were hailed as heroes at the start of the pandemic, today, many are not treated as such.