Sunday, May 4, 2014

I am a Nurse



I am a Nurse.

Whether I spend most of the time at the bedside or in front of students, I am still a nurse. Every day, my goal is to influence a nurse to do her very best, as others have done before. I am but one of the fortunate ones given the privilege to serve and make a difference.

Nursing is not for the faint-hearted. It is not for those who expect a calm and uncomplicated journey to retirement. This profession does not promise a day free of stress and challenges, nor full compensation and even appreciation for services rendered.

It is for those men and women who recognize the difference they make for those patients faced with the uncertain and sometimes the inevitable. Their hands are there to support the weak and to provide dignity even during the most unfortunate times.

Nurses have to cheer their patients up, to encourage and nurture them, but sometimes to hold their patients' hands when everything else had failed. They touch lives every time, every single day.

Nursing is for those who share a special place in their hearts for those struggling with pain, those who need a gentle touch, or those who need a willing listener to even the most mundane of complaints.

Nurses accept the call for compassion and grace. The rewards are emotional and spiritual, probably some extra points in heaven.

Nursing makes me a better person. That is why I am still a nurse.