May is National Nurses Month in the United States, a time to celebrate the unsung heroes of the healthcare world.
Nurses are often underappreciated for everything they do to keep the medical world running day in and day out. They bring a deep knowledge and practical expertise to every health care setting in the world, and are often the health care providers tasked with providing the emotional component of healthcare — something insurance doesn’t bill for.
The World Health Organization (WHO) named 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife — a campaign dedicated to raising awareness that the world needs 9 million more nurses and midwives by 2030. This was before the Covid-19 pandemic, which fundamentally changed the nursing profession and forever altered the lives of millions of nurses who worked through the pandemic.
Nurse and social media creator Blake Lynch told The Advocate Channel that "it’s no secret that the pandemic had a lasting impact on the medical community."
"Now more than ever, safe staffing is an issue in hospitals nationwide," he said. "Nurses are working longer shifts without breaks for food or even water. This is a huge issue that isn’t talked about enough. I’ve made it my mission to spread the word about this and have traveled around the country to stand with nurses as they protest or strike for safer work environments and staffing."
Post-pandemic, nurses have been quitting the profession in droves after suffering burnout, caregiver fatigue, physical threats and harassment, and poor administrative support throughout the pandemic. It seems everywhere on social media there are frustrated and burned out nurses explaining how the career they dedicated their lives to has broken their heart and forced them out.
Lynch is trying to change that, one viral video at a time on his Nurse Blake accounts. While still in school, Lynch started creating Facebook videos as a way to chill out after a long day and share his experiences in a comedic way, and he quickly went viral for his relatable and funny takes on nursing and healthcare.
Nurse Blake on Instagram: "more specifically the pharmacology semester 🫠#nursingschool #nursingstudent"
About his viral fame, Lynch said, "I never anticipated that my videos would go viral. I was creating them for my own mental health relief after my first panic attack. I’m so thrilled that so many nurses around the world feel a connection to me and my videos. It’s allowed me to build this incredible community that loves to laugh together."
Lynch always knew he wanted to be a nurse, and started working in the healthcare field at age 17. Advocacy has always been a part of Lynch's life — he was President of the Florida Nursing Student Association while in nursing school, and in 2013 he started Banned4Life, which led to the FDA ending its lifetime ban on gay blood in 2015.
"I was in nursing school in 2013 and witnessed a close friend who suffers from sickle cell anemia go in and out of the hospital during the school year to get frequent blood transfusions. Seeing her go through that inspired me to go out and donate blood," Lynch shared. "This is when I first learned about the gay blood ban. Now, 10 years later, the FDA is finally working to lift this ban and I couldn’t be more thrilled that our voices are heard."
In 2023, Nurse Blake is on a worldwide comedy tour, where his act features the same hilarious observational wit he brings to his social content. Blake created a worldwide community of nurses around him who come together annually for NurseCon, a 4-day cruise created to bring nurses and nursing students together to learn, share, interact, and most importantly, party!
"NurseCon at Sea is the ultimate nursing conference that brings together thousands of nurses from all over the world. It allows nurses to get their continuing education credits in a fun environment that also includes theme nights, parties, game shows, and more. It truly is the only nursing conference of its kind."
For more info on NurseCon at Sea or Blake's comedy tour, visit NurseBlake.com
