A Dynamic Profession Opening at the Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced today the new mini exhibit Nursing: A Dynamic Profession will open Wednesday, April 27. In recognition of the nursing profession, this exhibit celebrates the contributions of nurses throughout West Michigan and around the globe during the month of May, coinciding with National Nurses Week.

Nursing Exhibit

From nursing on the battlefield to the ICU, the exhibit showcases objects of nursing practice from the past and present day. These objects and their stories connect us to the profound effect nurses have had, and continue to have, on our quality of life.

Admission to the mini exhibit Nursing – A Dynamic Profession will be included with general admission to GRPM. This exhibit will be on display from April 27 – May 29, 2016.

The Museum plans to showcase several mini-exhibitions, or pop-up exhibits, each year.

They are modeled after pop-up stores, and are intended to be shorter in duration, showcase something new, tie into national and current events and showcase the GRPM’s Collections on a routine basis to the community. For further details visit The American Nurse – Special Film ShowingAs part of this mini exhibit, the Museum will be showing The American Nurse, a heart-warming film that explores some of the biggest issues facing America – aging, war, poverty, prisons – through the work and lives of nurses. Showings of The American Nurse will take place on Tuesday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Museum’s Meijer Theater. Tickets are $10 per person and include general admission to the Museum. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit grpm.org.

The American Nurse film showing is in partnership with Grand Valley State University Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON).

“The Museum is proud to showcase our Collections through these mini-exhibits,” said Dale Robertson, President and CEO of the GRPM. “These exhibits allow for great partnerships within our community and we are happy to be working with GVSU Kirkhof College of Nursing for the exhibit and the film.”

“Nurses do so much more than take a blood pressure. This film beautifully captures the broad scope of nursing as a profession and the significance of nurses in our society.

KCON appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to offer this experience for our community. We encourage everyone to join us for this celebration of nursing during the 2016 Nurses Week in America.” – Cynthia McCurren, dean and professor, Kirkhof College of Nursing.

This photograph is of the inside of a doctors office or a hospital room. There are two babies on a scale with the nurse beside them. This office is used to measure the many dimensions of humans. You see a height measuring device, a baby scale, and a stand up scale. (c) GRPM

The film is an examination of real people that will change how we think about nurses and how we wrestle with the challenges of healing America. The film follows the paths of five nurses in various practice specialties including Jason Short as he drives up a rugged creek to reach a home-bound cancer patient in Appalachia. Tonia Faust, who runs a prison hospice program where inmates serving life sentences care for their fellow inmates as they’re dying. Naomi Cross, as she coaches an ovarian cancer survivor through the Caesarean delivery of her son. Sister Stephen, a nun who runs a nursing home filled with goats, sheep, llamas and chickens, where the entire nursing staff comes together to sing for a dying resident. And Brian McMillion, an Army veteran and former medic, rehabilitating wounded soldiers returning from war.