A SALUTE TO NURSING

It has been said that nurses are the backbone of medicine. Without a doubt, they are one of its most important elements. I know personally what a valuable career it is because I am a registered nurse.

In this issue of Healthy Living magazine, we are proud to recognize the upcoming graduates from the nursing schools at Lake-Sumter State College and Lake Technical College (Lake Tech). These women and men couldn’t find a better place to begin their medical careers than in the health care hub of Lake and Sumter counties.

I began my career as a navy corpsman, and I believe that choice was the fork in the road that turned my life in the right direction. I was finishing my training at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego when an officer, who was a registered nurse, said, “You’re going to make an awesome nurse someday because what I’m seeing you do here cannot be taught.”

It’s that hidden level of compassion and care that make nurses the great frontline leaders they are. Think about it—nurses are among the first people to greet us at birth and among the last to provide comfort in the end. We interact with nurses at doctor’s offices, in hospitals, as patients or during family illness, and in assisted living, memory-care, homecare, hospice, and long-term care facilities. There are so many places that nurses provide essential care it’s impossible to list all of them.

My career took a detour when my Marine Corps reserve unit was activated, and I served as a corpsman in Desert Storm. Once my tour of duty was complete, I worked as a floor nurse in a hospital, was a field nurse for home health care, and eventually moved up to administration for a regional home health care company.

I know nurses put their hearts into whatever they do while taking care of angry or frightened people plagued with whatever illness they’re facing. In the space of an hour, a nurse will comfort and console, medicate and motivate, and resolve problems and reassure. In between these actions, reports are completed, patient orders are updated, and nurses interact with doctors. Hospitals never close; sickness doesn’t recognize holidays.

To the nurses who currently work in this noble profession or have retired, we say thank you. For the young graduates preparing for their future in the world of medicine, we know you’re heading into a complex world, but you’ll find many rewards along the way. Congratulations on your choice to be a nurse.

Sincerely,

KENDRA AKERS publisher/editor-in-chief kendra@akersmediagroup.com

DOUG AKERS vice president doug@akersmediagroup.com

JAMIE EZRA MARK chief creative officer jamie@akersmediagroup.com

EDITORIAL // DESIGN // PHOTOGRAPHY

JAMES COMBS staff writer james@akersmediagroup.com

LEIGH NEELY staff writer/copy editor leigh@akersmediagroup.com

MICHELLE CLARK staff writer michelle@akersmediagroup.com

THERESA CAMBELL staff writer theresa@akersmediagroup.com

JOE DELEON creative director joe@akersmediagroup.com

STEVEN J. CODRARO senior art director steve@akersmediagroup.com

JOSH CLARK senior designer josh@akersmediagroup.com

MICHAEL GAULIN production director michael@akersmediagroup.com

FRED LOPEZ chief photographer fred@akersmediagroup.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS//PHOTOGRAPHERS

JAIMIE ALONSO BONNIE CONRAD FRED HILTON

KIM BADEN-KRISTENSEN DAVE RAMSEY

SALES // MARKETING

TIM MCRAE vice president of sales tim@akersmediagroup.com

HEIDI RESSLER account representative heidi@akersmediagroup.com

KELLY DEARDORFF account representative kelly@akersmediagroup.com

DAVID COTE director of marketing david@akersmediagroup.com

MIKE STEGALL senior account representative mike@akersmediagroup.com

LYNNE KELLEY account representative lynne@akersmediagroup.com

MELANIE MELVIN director of client services melanie@akerscreative.com

ADMINISTRATION

DEB MATLOCK office manager deb@akersmediagroup.com

AUBREY AKERS advertising coordinator aubrey@akersmediagroup.com

SHAENA CHASTAIN receptionist shaena@akersmediagroup.com

DISTRIBUTION

SCOTT HEGG distribution manager scott.hegg@akersmediagroup.com

Doug Akers, RN, BSN