#WeGotThis: Pass it On

The role of a nurse can’t be put into a box, defined by a single image, or even boiled down to a day’s work.

From the nursing legends who have gone before to those of us today navigating a changing and challenging health system, we are the leaders, path forgers, and patient advocates who defy the stereotypical perception that our profession simply follows the doctor’s orders.

As a dean, but first and foremost a nurse, I have witnessed the power of our work at the bedside and in communities around the world, but I’ve also seen enormous impact when nursing has been fighting for health care policy, developing apps to educate and save populations in need, teaching at the podium to empower future nurses, researching cures that will change the lives of generations to come, or developing best practices for populations to stay healthier and live longer.

But I wanted the world to better know about the breadth of nursing. The New Script of Nursing is not my video and it is not a Johns Hopkins video. It is real nurses sharing their passion and their power for all to see.

I hope it inspires you, and I encourage you to use it as your own. Share it on social media (hashtag #WeGotThis, if you like), email it to your colleagues, and join us in saying how “you got this” as a nurse at Facebook.com/WeGotThisNursing (your story may be featured at WeGotThisNursing.org). And watch for new video vignettes from real nurses like Cynda Rushton, Jason Farley, Kamila Alexander, and more.

No matter where we are in the world, it’s our fierce courage and passion to help people in need that bind us together. You got this; we got this; because we are nurses.

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Alumni Weekend, which ended with our An Evening With the Stars event, is one of my favorite times of the year because it’s when faculty, students, staff, and alumni have an opportunity to really connect and it reflects our strong tradition of community.

I never tire of seeing our students engrossed in conversation with our alumni, particularly the latest 50th reunion class that each year offers so much wisdom, history, and life experience. But it’s the students who truly make this weekend so special because they are the future. Enjoy the images in this magazine, at nursing.jhu.edu/stargallery16, and at nursing.jhu.edu/alumniwknd16. We hope we will see you (and many more of your classmates and friends) next fall.

It takes a village to put on these weekends, so a great thank you to all who helped make 2016’s version so grand.