Rutherford Regional Health System will celebrate two national healthcare weeks in May. National Nurses Week is celebrated each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The theme for National Nurses Week for 2013 is “Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care.”

“Registered nurses use their knowledge, skill and compassion to provide physical and emotional care to those they serve across the lifespan, while also educating people about how to manage, improve and maintain their health,” said Pat Roberts, interim chief nursing officer at Rutherford Regional. “Nurses use ‘best practices’ and research-based findings to continuously improve the quality of care. They use their first-hand knowledge and common sense to innovate care processes to better serve patients and their families. Nurses advocate on behalf of patients and can be very creative when they are trying to ensure patients get what they need from a health care system.

“I am proud to be a registered nurse and part of such a committed profession.”