NY Nurse: January 2018

RNs are required through the Code of Ethics for Nurses to participate in essential educational programs to maintain their competence in the specialty area in which they work and to advance their practice. NYSNA provides many opportunities for members to do just that because the union understands that our professionalism is rooted in ongoing knowledge enhancement.

The significance of African American History Month has many meanings for NYSNA. In one sense, we celebrate our very own NYSNA members of African American heritage and their extraordinary contributions to society, both in the delivery of quality healthcare and in our activities that support equal access to quality care and celebrate our cultural diversity. We also see the historic contributions of African American nurses in the making of this nation, a proud and accomplished history with stories of great heroism.

Nurses understand in the most fundamental ways the fragility of our children’s health. From the common cold to life-threatening diseases, from immunizations to routine screenings, nurses are on the front lines helping to keep our children healthy and identifying when they are in harm’s way. Our firsthand experience tells us that our nation can ill afford to put our children’s health coverage at risk.

If a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water, which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.”

This parable has been used to describe abusive relationships, slippery slopes and subtle negative changes that are imposed upon us carefully, gradually, so that we don’t notice that we are being exploited. This is the face of nursing today.