Freeman Celebrates National Nurses Week

Joplin, MO – Nurses offer care, empathy, problem solving, and communication skills. They have stamina; a willingness to learn; critical thinking, leadership and time management skills; and a sense of humor. Nurses are the heart of healthcare, and Freeman is celebrating all they do during National Nurses Week (May 6 – 12).

“Nurses Week is a chance for healthcare leaders to show their nursing teams how much they are valued and appreciated,” said Michelle Wolfe, RN, Freeman Health System STEMI Coordinator. “Nurses go above and beyond, look for opportunities to help, thrive on challenges and do most of their best work behind the scenes.”

“I think it is important because at the end of the day we, as nurses, always feel like there is more we could have done for our patients, their families and our coworkers,” said Freeman Cardiac Medical Unit nurse Carly Camerer, RN. “Getting recognition for the hard work we do every day is that push that keeps us going during the rough times.”

Nursing is a challenging career but even more so during a pandemic, but both Wolfe and Camerer say rewards outweigh those challenges because they can make a difference in someone’s life.

“I love that someone can come in having a heart attack, and in an hour or so we have given them their life back,” said Wolfe. “We help patients on both their worst and best days. It is very rewarding to be able to see the immediate improvement in a patient when their blocked vessel is opened. And it is very empowering for me as a nurse to be able to identify a problem, come up with a solution and have the support of my leaders to make a change.”

Wolfe says that nursing is a diverse career field with many specialty options including hearts, babies, hospice, forensics or education. Her twin sister works in Freeman Maternal Child Unit. She stresses that it is a career that embraces teamwork, and rewards come from fellow employees and patients.

“It always makes my day when someone takes the time to stop and tell me about their experience at Freeman and about the wonderful care they received,” said Wolfe. “We are a team here, and it takes all of us to working together to be able to make the positive impact we do in our community.”

Nurses Week celebration events include: ice cream social, barbecue, treats, recognitions, themed basket raffles, decorations, pancake feed, blessing of hands, nurse supply drive, day of pampering and a birthday bash in honor of Florence Nightingale.

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About Freeman Health System

Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2020, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System the Best Hospital in Southwest Missouri for 2020-2021. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 80 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.