Unity, pride and teamwork: 8News is honoring local nurses during National Nurses Week

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- It's National Nurses Week, so 8News is spotlighting some of these hard-working healthcare professionals in Central Virginia.

Every nurse has a unique story to share, so our team spoke with Dr. Ellen Derry, Interim Chief of Nursing at VCU Medical Center, and Katie McNerney, a Registered Nurse with the Children's Hospital of Richmond, to hear theirs.

"It's really about unity," Derry said. "It's about teamwork. It's about pride."

From volunteering as a candy striper to leading the next generation of nurses at VCU Medical Center, Derry has dedicated her life to her passion -- nursing.

"I love the collaboration that you get in this environment," Derry smiled. "It's continual learning."

McNerney told 8News that helping kids has always had a special place in her heart.

"One of the beautiful things about being a pediatric nurse is the resiliency of these kids and their families and we have multiple kids who come in and they might be really sick or they might not have a good prognosis, but they are just so full of joy and energy, and their families are just so full of grace," McNerney said.

While these critical healthcare workers lean on -- and support -- one another, this national nurses week is about showing them how much the community values their work.

"Even though it is hard, there's also a really beautiful piece to that as well," McNerney said.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nurses make up the largest component of the healthcare workforce and are the primary providers of hospital patient care. The long hours and emotional days can be taxing, but Derry shared how some moments make it all worth it.

"All of a sudden, something happens that you can't always explain and you see a patient turnaround and [is] able to go back into the community, able to go back to their family," Derry reflected. "Just amazing, touching stories."

The nurses 8News spoke with on Tuesday clarified that they don't do it for the praise or recognition, but they hope appreciation-weeks like this help to highlight the important work they do, to help encourage aspiring nurses to continue down this path.