Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying “I will try again tomorrow”.
— Mary Anne Radmacher
Ten years ago I picked up the telephone and made my first attempt to “recruit” a traveler. Looking back, I had no idea the impact that these nurses and technologists made, not only on the patients that are assigned to them but the entire community in which they plant themselves for a few months or longer. At first, I thought the best candidate was the one that was ready in two weeks or less, had a resume that we couldn’t shoot too many holes through, and could communicate well enough so that they would not entirely butcher the phone interview. Oh, how my perception has changed!
After years of seeing nurses and technologists come and go in this industry (the majority in a successful way and a few, well not so much), I have come to see that the one trait which all successful nurses and techs must have: COURAGE.
Courage is defined in so many ways, including doing what is right, no matter the pressure or the demands of your surroundings. Courage is sticking things out when the situation around you seems like there is no end in sight. And courage is even, at times, knowing when to walk away. I wish we could find a way to measure the courage of each person that our recruiters talk to. It is the one defining characteristic that can take someone from being an average employee to becoming an inspiration to those around them.
Nurses Week starts this week (May 6-12), and no gift certificate, movie pass, coffee mug…etc. could ever express the thanks that we at Aureus have for all of you out there that have the courage to put on the scrubs day in and day out. We thank you, not just for being in an industry that our society will lean so heavy on in the upcoming years, but for being that quiet voice at the end of the day that says “I will try again tomorrow.”
Happy National Nurses Week!
Brannen Betz is the General Manager for the Nursing division at Aureus Medical Group. He started with Aureus in 1999 as a Recruiter. He worked his way up to Branch Manager in Allied Health in 2002. He stepped into his current role as General Manager for Nursing in 2003. Brannen was born and raised in Denver, CO. He attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he played collegiate baseball. Brannen has two children, daughter Ellee (8) and son Nate (6). He spends his free time coaching youth sports, playing hockey and wakeboarding.
BBetz@aureusmedical.com / 800.856.5457, ext. 2210 / www.aureusmedical.com