Nursing in the Trenches

Nurses Week comes as a celebration of the mother of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, by concluding on her birthday, May 12. Hers is the origin of the friendly face, caring for patients through the night, working tirelessly to alleviate their suffering. Nightingale made sanitation breakthroughs during the Crimean War of 1853–1856, but for Public Health nurses looking after patients in the modern trenches, they must sometimes do more to relate to their patients — like perform a rap duo.

Anna Rosen recalled the time she agreed to rap with a music-loving homeless client. After her debut performance, he agreed to let her help him.

“It’s all about building rapport and trust,” she said. “And it’s never a straight line from point A to B; it’s always a zigzag.”