The RN to BSN Program at NC Wesleyan University hopes for a brighter future in which we prepare to move forward in a changing world. Our faculty and students stand committed to help our community during recovering from COVID-19 and we appreciate your compassion, your sacrifices and your bravery.
We are extremely proud of all nurses in our program and we thank you and honor you, during National Nurses Week and all year long.
When Is Nurses’ Week?
Nurses’ week is worldwide annual celebration of nurses honoring them for the work they do for others and allows people the chance to acknowledge the nurses in their lives. Nurses’ week takes place between Thursday, May 6 – Wednesday, May 12, 2021. May 12 is significant as it marks the revered Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
During COVID-19, healthcare workers have worked tirelessly on the front lines to ensure that people were cared for. The pandemic has especially been challenging on nurses’ morale and mental health. Join us as we celebrate nurses and help keep nurses emotionally engaged with their work to continue providing excellent care to their patients.
What Can You Do to Celebrate Nurses’ Week?
Here are a few ideas to honor the nurses:
Letting a nurse know they are appreciated goes a long way. Handwrite a letter or thank you note to express your gratitude and provide motivation to continue moving forward during difficult times.
Consider sending a gift to a nurse that has impacted you or your family and/or the facility or hospital you received care from. Making a video and sharing it on social media is a great way to thank nurses around the world.
The History of Nurses’ Week
Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower in 1953 to create an official nurse day. About 20 years later, President Nixon created a week in February 1974 to acknowledge the nursing profession. In 1978, New Jersey’s governor, Brendon Byrne, declared May 6 as National Nurses Day.
In 1981, there was an assassination attempt on President Reagan. He received care from a team of nurses who dislodge a bullet inches from his heart. After his recovery, Reagan tracked down the nurses and sent them words of encouragement and thank you notes.
In 1982, the Ronald Reagan signed an executive order making it official on May 6, 1982.
Furthermore, the International Nurse Council declared International Nurses Day on May 12 after Florence Nightingale. After a few years, the ANA determined that the profession needed an entire week of celebration.
NCWU Honors Our Nursing Students.
Thank You For Your Impact On Our Community!
D'Amona Boddie
Why did you want to become a nurse?
I have always found joy in helping others. Being able to make a difference in someone’s life in one of their most vulnerable moments and being there and caring for them gives so much meaning and purpose into the word “nurse”.
What is your favorite part about being a nurse?
The initial patient encounter. I love when I am meeting patients for the first time and as I do a physical assessment, I like to go further and build a rapport and learn more about my patient as a person. What are their likes/dislikes? Do they have families/careers? I always find at least one fascinating thing about them to make our [professional] relationship individualized and unique.
What was the leading factor of NCWU’s RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
Mostly convenience. I am from the Rocky Mount area and grew up seeing the college literally everyday. It’s a part of my community and I still live close to campus. As a working mother of two, the location and flexibility of my classes made me enroll.
What has been your favorite part of the NCWU RN to BSN program?
I just started the program, so I don’t exactly have a favorite part as of yet. However, I love the accessibility and communication from my instructors and even the director of the program. They make me feel as if they really are working to help me succeed in this program. The inspiration and feedback means a lot to me.D'Amona Boddie
Tanesha Etheridge
Why did you want to become a nurse?
I wanted to become a nurse because I enjoy helping others. I am able to assist and provide instructions for my patients and work with other professionals that share the same goals.
What is your favorite part about being a nurse?
My favorite part of being a nurse is that I assist others in their time of need and there are multiple ways of doing that in nursing!
What was the leading factor of NCWU’s RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
I enrolled in NC Wesleyan’s RN to BSN program because it’s a great opportunity to advance my education and this college has a great reputation.
What has been your favorite part of the NCWU RN to BSN program?
My favorite part about NC Wesleyan University is that the instructors are awesome, knowledgeable and supportive.Tanesha Etheridge
Aundrea Johnson
Why did you want to become a nurse?
I became a nurse because I was always fascinated by the human body, and I love helping people.
What is your favorite part about being a nurse?
My favorite part about being a nurse would have to be witnessing my patients progress and knowing I was involved in their care.
What was the leading factor of NCWU’s RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
I enrolled in NCWU’s BSN program because I felt like it fit my lifestyle and I felt like I would be supported here.
What has been your favorite part of the NCWU RN to BSN program?
My favorite part of the NCWU RN to BSN program is the availability of the director of the program how easy I can contact her when I have any questions.Aundrea Johnson
Sarah Marlowe
Why did I want to become a nurse?
I became a nurse because I grew up going to work with my mom some days, who is also a registered nurse. It’s something that was always talked about in our household and I felt like it’s what I was destined to do.
What is your favorite part of being a nurse?
My favorite part of being a nurse is helping patients and their families. In my area of work (pediatrics) family is always involved and it’s nice to help them when they need it for life’s biggest milestones!
What was the leading factor of NCWU RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
One thing I really liked about this program was that it was offered by a program close to home and that it was able to be completed all online in just a years time.
What has been your favorite part of the program?
100% the instructors! They are more than nice, helpful, and accommodating and always look to help their students. I couldn’t do it without their support!Sarah Marlowe
Sarah Pressley
Why did I want to become a nurse?
I absolutely love working with people. I knew I could never have a “desk job”. I also always found medicine interesting and fun to learn.
What is your favorite part about being a nurse?
My favorite part about being a nurse is helping to ease someone’s worries or calm them if they are scared. I have anxiety myself, so to know that I play a role in easing someone’s anxiety makes me so happy.
What was the leading factor of NCWU’s RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
The staff! The fact that I can easily e-mail or call the faculty, professors, or my counselor, and get assistance is what made it most appealing to me. It also appealed to me that it was an online program, and I could pursue my degree while I continued to work full time.
What has been your favorite part of the NCWU RN to BSN program?
My favorite part so far has been the Public Health course. It was very interesting and is making me consider a career in Public Health nursing.Sarah Pressley
Emily Jackson-Rouse
Why did I want to become a nurse?
I knew my early years in high school that I wanted to pursue something in medicine. My sophomore year, my grandfather had a massive stroke and was placed at Vidant Hospital in Greenville for rehabilitation. I knew several weeks after he was there that nursing is what I wanted to do wholeheartedly. Watching his nurses care for and interact with him made me realize that I wanted to do something for people that would make a difference in their lives. Having and showing compassion for your patients and helping them heal is one of the most gratifying and worthwhile feelings to have. Nursing is so rewarding, challenging, and diverse. There are so many options out there to succeed and excel in our careers. When you never dread a day of your career after 15 plus years, you know without a doubt that you have picked the right one!Emily Jackson-Rouse
Bobbie Kay Terrill
Why did I want to become a nurse?
God placed a desire in my heart to be a nurse early on in life. I never wavered from that calling, and I’m so grateful.
What is your favorite part about being a nurse?
My favorite part is making a patient feel valued. The care we provide to promote healing is so important. How we make a patient feel in the process really makes all the difference.
What was the leading factor of NCWU’s RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
Staff! Hands down I’ve been incredibly impressed with the one on one focus I have received from the start.
Also, this specific program was a huge factor. Dr. Bass has clearly focused the program on what matters most for nurses.
What has been your favorite part of the NCWU RN to BSN program?
I’m in my first week, so hard to say. At this point, I have to recognize the staff once again. A private school really does make all the difference and I do not in anyway feel like I’m just a number! I am grateful to be part of the RN-BSN program!Bobbie Kay Terrill
Crystal Quinn
What was the leading factor of NCWU’s RN to BSN program that made you enroll?
The leading factor in the NCWU RN to BSN program that made me enroll, besides the fact that I knew I needed to do this for myself, were the encounters that I had with the staff and instructors during the program inquiry process. I’ve been out of school for quite a while. I also have young, very active children. The instructors and administration provided so much encouragement and motivation. They really erased the fears that I had about furthering my education all of these years later. They have all remained so kind and supportive throughout the program as well and I truly could not have asked for a better experience.Crystal Quinn
