Each spring, the American Nurses Association celebrates National Nurses Week to recognize the contributions of the nursing profession to people’s lives. To honor the annual event, Marshall Medical Center will organize a weeklong series of internal recognition activities celebrating its nursing staff.

Further highlighting the importance of the nursing profession, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors has issued a proclamation naming the week of May 6-12, 2008, “National Nurses Week – Nurses: Making a Difference Every Day” in El Dorado County. Marshall Medical Center Assistant Administrator Shannon Truesdell, RN, was on hand to receive the proclamation.

"Marshall Medical Center is very fortunate and proud to work with our dedicated, compassionate, knowledgeable and highly skilled professional nurses,” Truesdell commented. “These nurses, representing a multitude of nursing specialties, demonstrate their commitment to our community and their patients daily, acting as patient advocates, teaching, listening and lending a kind touch in the midst of an increasingly high tech environment. Our nurses really do make a tremendous difference in our patient's care and in their lives.”

National Nurses Week 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. The theme for this year’s event is “Nurses: Making a Difference Every Day.”

“This year’s theme embodies what it means to be a registered nurse every day,” said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. “Today’s nurses make the ultimate sacrifice on a daily basis to provide expert care during times of disaster and crisis; we want to honor the men and women who not only chose this challenging and rewarding career, but make a difference in the lives of their patients and in the nursing community.”

Nurses at Marshall Medical Center certainly make a huge difference each and every day, and are a big part of Marshall’s ranking in the top 5% nationally for clinical excellence by HealthGrades.