The Brigham Young University College of Nursing will celebrate National Nurses Week, scheduled for May 6-12, with free blood pressure screening and various services in Utah and around the world.
Nursing students will check blood pressure in the Wilkinson Student Center Terrace May 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. and May 9 from 10 a.m. to noon. "Be Smart, Check Your Heart!" will be the college's slogan for the program.
Past and present BYU nursing students will also celebrate National Nurses Week in the United States and across the globe. Approximately 80 students are involved in specialized programs throughout Utah, such as Integrative Healing, which explores alternative and complementary healing, and providing nursing care in the Women's Unit of Utah State Prison.
In addition, 20 students are instituting basic nursing courses at local hospitals in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and 16 are implementing an infant feeding protocol in Tucumán, Argentina. More than 20 are working in an acute care hospital in Geelong, Australia. Many of these opportunities arise from taking Global Health and Human Diversity, a BYU course addressing the theory and practice of nursing in a global context.
Nurses around the world mark May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, as a day to honor registered nurses and raise public awareness of the vital role nurses play in meeting health needs. For this year's celebration, the American Nurses Association has chosen the theme "Nursing: A Profession and a Passion."
"We as the College of Nursing pay tribute to the 2.9 million registered nurses who promote health and healing," said Mary Williams, interim dean. "From bedside nursing in hospitals and long-term care facilities to the halls of research institutions, state legislatures and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding health care needs of American society."
For more information, contact Rose Ann Jarrett at (801) 422-4143.
Writer: Elizabeth Kasper
