It’s the start of National Nurses Week, a week to show appreciation for everything nurses do for our community.
Candice Erickson, an assistant nurse manager for French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, has lived on the Central Coast for more than 25 years.
“It means everything to me. It’s a great job. It’s so rewarding. You get to, for me, personally, I get to treat members of my community. A lot of people that just we see every day all around. It’s very rewarding. It means a lot,” Erickson said.
She says the pandemic years have been one of the toughest stretches for health care professionals, especially nurses.
Erickson says nursing is actually her second career, and she chose it because she felt her calling was to help people in her community.
“I'd say thank you for letting us serve you and trusting us. Thank you for showing us any appreciation because none of us in this profession, I think, do this for the appreciation. There have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows; a lot of things we've never experienced. Hopefully we've made a positive impact on the community and patients and got everyone through as well as we possibly could,” Erickson said.
She adds that as challenging as it is to be a nurse, it's one of the most rewarding professions.
