What does community mean to nurses? The answer is everything. It’s why you stay to work overtime to help your department and why you miss your lunch break to assist your colleagues that are drowning in their assignment. It’s sometimes even a reason why you accept unruly conditions because at the end of a tumultuous shift, you have formed lifetime friends with your coworkers. You braved the storm together, and that creates an inexplicable bond. 

Aside from a strong desire to care for the public, this community remains one of the greatest reasons to become and stay a nurse. Initiation into this pack of healthcare professionals starts when you become a nursing student. Of course, nursing isn’t perfect, and just like family, there are disagreements. Yet we don’t give up on one another, and we find a way. That’s exactly what nurses do. 

When I became the CEO of The Nursing Beat, I had a strong desire to create a sustainable community by providing an environment of resources to navigate the complex healthcare ecosystem.  The nurse we serve today requires a diverse set of tools in the form of continuing education, entrepreneurship, and mental health support. The Nursing Beat pairs the nostalgia of the profession with tailored content written in a trusted voice, in a language we understand. 

But we can’t do it alone. It is imperative to partner with organizations on the same trajectory so that we can build and accelerate our goals. Upon meeting with the connectRN team, there was one obvious mutual understanding: nurses can thrive and find joy in their profession with the right resources and tools. The future of healthcare lies in our ability to create this environment for all healthcare professionals. connectRN provides the sustainability nurses are yearning for by giving them autonomy in their work-life balance. They acknowledge the challenging climate clinicians face and solve issues many have spent years enduring. connectRN authentically supports nurses, and that is what makes this partnership exciting. Together, The Nursing Beat and connectRN will continue to build a vibrant community with the mission of nurses feeling seen, heard, and valued.

The pandemic accelerated the glaring pre-existing issues that healthcare professionals face. Short staffing, unsafe working conditions, and missed meal breaks are just a handful of the extensive problems preventing clinicians from maximizing the standard of care for their patients. It’s a noble choice to dedicate your life to caring for others, but it has become unsustainable, and we must begin solving these dilemmas. 

Maybe ultimately, the answer isn’t resigning from the profession but finding new solutions and forging partnerships to execute those solutions. Then, our bonds as clinicians will not be formed based on braving harsh conditions but because we have solved for a new way with the right people at the right time for the right reasons. That is precisely what this partnership entails. Welcome to the TNB family, connectRN! We are thrilled to have you.