First Among Equals

In the Surgical Intensive Care Unit with Annie Brito, RN

Dr. Bill Atkinson is WakeMed president & CEO.

When doctors made house calls and the infirmed were cared for at home, family members fulfilled the nursing care role. As health care became more sophisticated, nurses quickly became the cornerstone of the health care system.

Today, nurses provide the backbone of hospital care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the around-the-clock attention provided by skilled nurses is why inpatient care is so critical to patients’ recovery. As nursing care becomes even more highly specialized and an increased national emphasis is placed on primary care, nursing will continue to become even more critically important to the health of our country.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated nurses providing quality, compassionate care to patients at WakeMed and in our community. The importance of nursing cannot be understated. To me, nurses are first among equals when it comes to health care.