Standing Strong: Why Patient and Nurse Advocacy Matters

Thank you to our partners for this post: FUTURO™ Brand.

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As nurses our primary responsibility is to care for patients. This does of course include administering medications, giving bed baths, and assisting with other needs. However, being a nurse is about more than completing technical tasks and duties as assigned. Nurses also have a strong responsibility to be advocates. Nurses have a unique position to touch all hearts.

Patient Advocacy

When a patient is in the hospital they are often at their most vulnerable. This can often mean you are left to deal with a difficult patient. The medications and treatments they are receiving may impact their ability to advocate for themselves in a manner they are accustomed to. They also might lack the knowledge to know when to question a treatment. As nurses, we are the first and last line of defense to protect patients. We shouldn’t even have to question whether or not we speak up or act to protect a patient. It should be instinct. Although you likely won’t hear about it in heart-warming news stories, nurses save lives and improve the quality of life for patients every day.

Nurse Advocacy

Over the past 100 years, the nursing profession has grown by leaps and bounds. Because of nurse advocacy we have higher salaries, more uniform choices, and more autonomy in our practice. However, we still have a long way to go and the advocacy can’t end.

Many nurses have unsafe staffing conditions, poor working conditions, or other hindrances to good patient care. If they simply endure this treatment, things will never change. It only takes one nurse to stand up and make a difference. It may not be easy, but if you want nursing to continue to improve, you can’t sit on the sidelines. You have to advocate for yourself and your profession.

Self-Care and Personal Advocacy

Nurses are care givers both by nature and by trade. Chances are if you became a nurse you did so because of the inherent desire to help others. Unfortunately that might also mean that you often neglect caring for yourself. If you continue the cycle of caring only for others and neglecting your needs it can be easy to set yourself on a path to burnout. Sometimes personal advocacy means saying “no.” It might mean that you don’t pick up that extra shift or you let your spouse cook dinner for one evening. Saying “no” is empowering and an important part of self-care.

Self-care isn’t always about saying “no,” however. Sometimes it’s about saying “yes,” and pampering yourself a little. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive. It might mean that instead of taking a quick shower and folding a couple of loads of laundry you opt for a long hot bath instead. You can also treat yourself to less foot and leg pain by wearing FUTURO™ Revitalizing Trouser Socks to work. Not only will this help you feel better, but FUTURO™ Graduated Compression Legwear helps improve circulation with maximum compression at the ankle that gradually decreases up the leg. The FUTURO™ Revitalizing Trouser Socks are ideal for being on your feet or active office work, the graduated compression therapy technology of the socks delivers continuous energy and support throughout the entire day.

The FUTURO™ STAND STRONG Sweepstakes

The FUTURO™ STAND STRONG sweepstakes runs until July 27^th, 2015. By hosting this sweepstakes, FUTURO™ Brand aims to celebrate the daily achievements of people who stand strong on their legs and feet all day. The sweepstakes offers a series of prizes, including the chance for hardworking individuals to win the opportunity to put their feet up and relax while experiencing a trip of a lifetime and more.

• The Grand Prize winner will have the choice of one of the following vacations, including airfare, accommodation, and more:
  • Spa Vacation – A trip for two, four days/three nights at the Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona
  • Disney Family Vacation – A trip for four, five days/four nights at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
  • Romantic Getaway – A trip for two, four days/three nights at The Cloister in Sea Island, Georgia
• Two runner-up winners will each receive a Zappos.com gift card
• The first 1,000 eligible individuals to submit an entry will receive a pair of FUTURO™ Revitalizing Socks

Visit http://s.3m/cp,/Ytwc to enter the FUTURO™ STAND STRONG sweepstakes, for sweepstakes rules and regulations and more information about FUTURO™ Legwear.

Find out more about FUTURO™ Legwear by visiting Futuro.com or pick up your own FUTURO™ Legwear in the pharmacy section of major retailers nationwide, including Walgreens.

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