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‘Step’ up and tread 16,390 steps in nurses’ shoes during National Nurses Month

By Angela Cutrer
Star Correspondent

May is National Nurses Month, a joyful celebration that promotes understanding and appreciation of the invaluable contributions of the more than 5.3 million nurses in the United States. It allows us all to take our hats off to the many women and men who provide a valuable and life-saving service to the patients under their care.

One such person to celebrate is Tanya Sullivan from Hampton, who now lives and works in Johnson City.

She doesn’t wear a hat most days. However, every time she leaves her home to head to work, she places an invisible cap on her head. She’s a nurse, and though nurses no longer wear caps to distinguish themselves from others, that hat is still metaphorically there. It represents the promise Sullivan, and other nurses like her, made when they took a vow to help others in medical need.

“I love being a nurse,” Sullivan said of the many hats her profession requires. “It’s personal as well as professional. It’s a joy, it’s a challenge, it’s mentally challenging. And I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

It all started years ago when her young son, Ian, was fighting for his life at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “I saw the care and compassion of those at St. Jude’s,” Sullivan said, remembering a difficult time in her life when she feared losing her 6-year-old. “It really opened my eyes to what those professionals do. As soon as he got better, I went to nursing school.”

In addition to admiring nurses’ commitment to the advocacy and care of others and celebrating nationally during National Nurses Month, Holston Medical Group (HMG), which has offices in the region, honors nurses locally with its second annual Walk Like a Nurse Challenge, where HMG encourages the Tri-Cities to “step” up and experience what it’s like to walk in nurses’ shoes – 16,390 steps, the average number of steps a nurse takes in a day, to be exact.

“To be a nurse is to wear many hats – from problem-solver to a shoulder-to-cry-on – and HMG’s nurses are here for patients and team members through it all,” said HMG’s Vice President, Dr. Cheryl Stanski, MD, FACS, MBA. “With no end to the unwavering demand for nurses and their invaluable skill sets, empathy and support are needed from the community now more than ever.”

This is especially true with post-pandemic hardships. Sullivan said she hears how difficult it’s been to hire nurses who still choose to work as traveling nurses because the pay is so good. “I know they get burned out,” she said. “It’s challenging for [hospitals and clinics] to find nurses to hire.”

Sullivan has been a nurse now for 10 years and works with the elderly. “I love old people,” she said with joy in her voice. “I may walk 14,000 steps in just one of my 12-hour shifts, but it’s wonderful to be able to comfort both families and patients.”

And that’s why this month is a great time to say thank you to a nurse. A good nurse is one who loves the job – and the people.

“My patients are like my grandparents and here at NHC HealthCare Johnson City, the standards are very high,” Sullivan added. “I’m very proud to work here and offer the service of helping the elderly. Especially those who have no one. I never want someone to die alone.”

We can don our own thinking caps for ways to honor nurses this month, including by using the hashtag #WalkLikeANurseChallenge online and in social media. It’s the least we can do.