Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to be a nurse. I never saw that many black nurses and the ones I did see didn’t hold any positions other than bedside nurses. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a bedside nurse, it was definitely where I started. I just knew that it was my humble beginning, but never where God planned as my ending. I used to say I want to be a charge nurse. Never did I aspire to simply exist, but even as a child I recognized that I needed to be more than just a nurse. Once I became a nurse, I looked for a black nurse who was where I desired to be in order to be mentored. I always said every other culture, ethnicity, race, etc. would band together to support one another, but I’ve not found that to be the case with black nurses. Black nurses, from my experience, fight against each other instead of together for one another. I haven’t quite figured out why even in my experience as a nurse. How many black nurses or black people despite my asking have gone to post and actually follow me? I’ll wait….Only a few. But think about it; how many black people do you know who support other black people’s endeavors, businesses, etc? Black nurses are relevant, important, intellectual, valid, and of great value, so, support one another, lift each other up and stop tearing each other down. I want to actively be the change I want to see in other people. So, I strive to mentor young nurses, be a good example, and help dispel the all too familiar “nurses eat their young” saying that is a horrible reality. Help me do this by being a leader to our new nurses and even the ones who are complacent and set in their ways. We all need each other and can be a better nursing community if we learned to support one another. No more Black against Black nurse mentality; Instead, make a deliberate choice to know better and do better.
ShesThatRNspiration 