It’s coming up on Nurses’ Appreciation Week (May 6 to 12), and there is no better time to reflect on the countless good reasons why you did not become a nurse. I was recently reminded after my son’s recovery from having his wisdom teeth out. Don’t get me wrong. He was an excellent patient. I’m not sure I was the best caregiver. If you are a nurse, thank you for wanting to take care of other people.

If this is too much information, I apologize, but I’ve been a sympathetic vomiter for as long as I can remember. Watching a movie or even hearing the sounds makes me weak at the knees. Way back when my husband and I discussed having children, the possibility of cleaning up after any little critters was a huge concern. I wasn’t sure if I was up to the job. The advice givers told me that when it’s your own child, it will be different. It really isn’t. It’s just twice the mess. Thankfully I know plenty of confident, compassionate nurses willing to educate me and not make me feel so inadequate.

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. Florence Nightingale, a British citizen known as the pioneer of modern nursing, recognized the need for sanitary conditions during the Crimean War in the late 1850s. After significantly improving the environmental health of the infirm, she spent her extra time walking the hospital halls, even at night, improving the patients’ comfort. Her work and practices reduced the death rate by two-thirds. The moniker “Lady with the Lamp” stuck with her for the rest of her life. After writing an 830-page report on the British Army Hospital conditions and proposing reform, Nightingale dedicated the rest of her life to improving health care conditions.

I realize being a nurse isn’t about cleaning up the mess, but it’s a good appreciation baseline. In my experience a nurse is the first person who greets anyone during a regular office visit or during an emergency. Even though we may not appreciate it at the time because we are sick or want to be anywhere else, the nurse makes us comfortable and safe. Their hours are long and hard. They have to deal with a mixture of personalities and problems while still being professional. Nurses see us at our very worst and still have the power to put us at ease.

There are so many different careers that involve nursing that I’m not even aware of. For starters, nurses draw blood, check vital signs, conduct exams, coordinate care, administer medication, do home visits or can provide counseling. In schools, they may be the only health care professional some children are in contact with on a regular basis.

A nurse’s role has evolved from Nightingale’s time, but it is still rooted in empathy. This year’s Nurses’ Appreciation Week theme is “Nurses: Inspire, Innovate, and Influence.” That leaves quite a bit of room to find ways to show your favorite nurses that their good deeds don’t go unnoticed. I hope you do not have the need for regular nursing care. If you ever do, I’m glad you will be in such good hands.

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Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Time guidebook series. For family-friendly activities, go to AdirondackFamilyTime.com.