Power of Nursing

August 4, 2021 Off By Forrest

At least 3600 US healthcare workers died in 2020 from COVID. There were 1500 nurses across the states that did not survive. These are just the numbers for USA. Global numbers are much higher and more are dying in 2021. I am a nurse. These are my colleagues. I retired in 2019 due to a disabling autoimmune illness. I have always been artistic in many ways. I used art as therapy during my difficult times. So in 2020 I was struggling with my colleagues as I lost several friends to COVID. I wanted to contribute and show my appreciation to my colleagues and friends through a series of paintings that tells the story of nursing in this difficult time.

I reached out to all my nursing colleagues across the states and any nursing facebook group I could find. I sent a survey and asked how they felt about COVID. I took the themes and developed the series. My colleagues sent pictures giving me permission to use to tell the story. Each nurse has faced the fear of the virus through their patients, colleagues, families and the community. Each day their temperature is checked wondering is this the day I have succumbed to the virus? I have a cough is it allergies or COVID? I have to go to work, who else is going to take care of my patients. I do not know if I can wear this mask and face shield one more hour… Nurses are truly heroes battling at the front lines without hazard pay. It is one of the most dangerous jobs for things we can not see.

The collage is created with individual acrylic mono-prints strategically cut and placed on canvas to create the painting. The nurses are colleagues that I have worked with at local hospitals in South Carolina and North Carolina. I added symbolism to the paintings. The heart on the masks are nurses speaking from a universal point to educate the public on the seriousness of COVID. The cape represents the nurses as superheroes immersing themselves in areas where COVID is high risk. The doves represent nurses, other healthcare workers, families and the community that are no longer here with us due to COVID. The unclean uniforms represents that the nurses can not control or get away from the virus. The words are from nurses on what it means to exemplify a nurse today. And lastly, the power of nursing is through prayer.