Interpret the Nightingale spirit with actions

■ Wang Zipei

"Save lives with humanity, ignite hope with fraternity, and protect health with dedication." On September 2, Cheng Shouzhen, president of the Guangdong Nursing Association and director of the Nursing Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, was awarded the 48th Nightingale Award. This medal, which represents the highest honor in the international nursing community, is well deserved.

Who is Cheng Shouzhen? In the face of the test of life and death, she is an angel in white and a pioneer, always rushing to the forefront of medical work.

At the beginning of 2020, when the new crown epidemic broke out, Cheng Shouzhen asked for help three times and led a team to Wuhan to fight against the virus for life and death. Within 72 hours, the general ward was converted into a high-level life support unit full of critically ill patients, and a total of 246 critically ill patients were admitted in 61 days, and she and her team worked day and night to buy time for life. Staying in the most dangerous front line of treatment, bringing the experience of medical and nursing joint rounds to Wuhan, she devoted herself to protecting the life and health of the people, and became the "dinghai god needle" in the team with experience and courage, leading the team to achieve the goal of "winning the battle, zero infection, zero accidents". She traveled to Serbia for 40 days and traveled long distances with members of the expert group every day to guide the local fight against the epidemic, and Serbia became one of the countries with the lowest rate of severe illness and mortality in Europe. From fighting SARS to facing the new crown, from Kunming to Wenchuan, from the snowy plateau to the vast Gobi, she is in a hurry, where there is a need, there is her figure saving lives and helping the injured. She said, "When someone needs me, my duty lies, and the Nightingale spirit of self-denial and selfless dedication has been continued and carried forward in Cheng Shouzhen.

In her daily work, she is a skilled leader and devotes herself to the development of nursing.

"Nursing is not simply about performing medical orders, giving injections and dispensing medicines." Nurses are the medical workers who are closest to patients, and the professionalism of nurses directly affects the effectiveness of medical work. For more than 40 years in the industry, Cheng Shouzhen has continuously demanded itself with higher professional standards and strived for excellence in nursing technology. She organizes colleagues to analyze and discuss difficult problems and encourages young nurses to develop into professional nursing talents. During the period of assistance, there are patients with new coronary pneumonia who urgently need endotracheal intubation, which is difficult to operate and the risk of infection is extremely high. Cheng Shouzhen wore heavy protective clothing and through the foggy goggles, skillfully completed the intubation, so that the patient turned the crisis into safety. Behind the operation of the clouds and flowing water, there are too many unknown efforts. "Strive for the welfare of the patient and do everything possible to raise the standard of care," she remembers the promise she made when reciting the Nightingale Oath.

In the eyes of patients, she is a warm and kind lantern bearer, helping people to restore their health and regain hope.

In the ward, people can always see Cheng Shouzhen's figure, hear her say hello to patients, and chat about home. In her opinion, the psychological and physical healing of patients is equally worthy of attention. Understand the patient's feelings, encourage patients to bravely overcome the disease, and seriously help patients complete the basic needs such as eating and turning over... These actions of the nursing staff may seem small, but they may be a great comfort for the patients in the hospital bed. Taking care of every patient with love, patience, care and responsibility is a demonstration set by Nightingale, a pioneer in nursing, and a working principle that Cheng Shouzhen has always adhered to.

General Secretary Xi Jinping once used sixteen words to evaluate the efforts of medical staff: respect for life, save lives and help the injured, be willing to dedicate, and love boundlessly. Cheng Shouzhen is such an example. Greet the hope of life with tender hands, use weak arms to lift up the strength of life, use life to bless life, care for health with great love, Cheng Shouzhen interprets the Nightingale spirit with actions, and writes an extraordinary life in an ordinary post. Let us pay tribute to China's Nightingale and the vast number of medical staff represented by Cheng Shouzhen!