Called to care, serve, lead

Ascension Nurses Celebrated During Nurses Week 2023

From massages to food trucks to contests and prizes, Ascension celebrated its nursing community during Nurses Week 2023 from May 6-12. This year’s Called to Care, Lead, Serve theme was on display as nurses received themed tumblers, colored pages in a variety of sizes and played the ICARE self-care bingo game.

Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit hosted daily theme shirt days, a T-shirt design contest and a nurses station decorating contest. There were raffles, prizes, Ascension swag giveaways and massage therapy offerings for nurses.

Nursing leaders invited different nursing schools to the hospital every day to educate students about the opportunities available to them when advancing their nursing degrees. The visits were so well received that the nursing schools asked to return in a few months.

In alignment with our ABIDE (Appreciation - Belongingness - Inclusivity - Diversity - Equity) hallmarks, Ascension St. John brought in special guests from the Detroit Black Nurses Association (Detroit BNA) for recruitment and promotion and to recognize minority nurses.

“I wanted to recognize our nurses of color and let them know that there is a local nursing organization available to them as a resource for support, continuing education, scholarships, community service and more,” said Valerie Grobbel, Nursing Director, Ascension St. John Hospital.

“Detroit BNA are recognized nursing leaders here in southeast Michigan in many healthcare systems. They encourage black nurses into leadership and to have a voice.”

At Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the hospital participated in different movie themes and enjoyed a walk of fame among the nursing units. One unit celebrated by decorating in an “Alice in Wonderland” theme.

“We had so much fun seeing other areas of our hospital decorated and getting to pose for photos with movie theme props,” said Sarah Johnson-McGill, CVICU RN Manager, Ascension St. John Medical Center. “There were also added perks, like having our leaders help serve breakfast to our front-line teams.”

“Hospital Week and Nurses Week is a big deal here at the Gulf,” said Tracy Ross, Volunteer Coordinator and Marketing Liaison at Ascension Sacred Heart Gulf, Port St. Joe, Florida. “In honor of Nurses Week, Rehab graciously partnered with us to give mini-massages. One nurse told us, ‘This is the best gift ever!’”

The hospital also worked with a local church to serve nurses a lunch of chicken sandwiches followed by ice cream for the day shift and night shift. Free food and celebrations followed all week long for the nursing community. Tracy also said the hospital honored Administrator and Vice President of Nursing Kelly Beach with its quarterly Heart of the Gulf Award.

“We are blessed to have our dedicated associates and thankful for the opportunity to celebrate their many accomplishments,” said Tracy. “They are all truly Called to Care.”