Nurse. Just the mere mention of the noun has more than likely conjured up the squeaky clean image of a pretty lady in colorful scrubs in the back of your mind. Sure, she might poke and prod at you with needles, routinely check your vital signs and make you gag with that awful tongue depressing Popsicle do-dad, but none the less the word more than likely stirs up no bad remembrances.

In fact, aside from whatever brought you to your local clinic, his or her constant smile might’ve been the only positive experience you can recall from the whole endeavor. However, much like an iceberg, there is more to your nurse then you know. Beneath that cheerful façade is an extremely tired individual who has withstood one challenging day. In order to be the nurse before you, she first had to spend years of her life in school, memorizing medical terms and pushing herself to do her very best.

From there she was flung into a constant world of stress, learning some from other fellow nurses and teaching herself some things college never prepared her for. She has helped bring lives back from the brink of death, performing chest compressions and endless codes until her muscles ache. She has helped deliver babies and rocked them passionately in the nursery while new mothers rest up and recover. She has bathed and put to bed the elderly, and grieved tremendously herself when your loved ones pass. She skips meals to make sure her patients are took care of first, and she spends more holidays at work and on her feet then you can imagine. She runs on sometimes less than three hours of sleep. She is not always shown the respect she deserves, receiving punches, kicks and scratches from the disorderly. She is surrounded by germs and bacteria, but for her, there are no sick days, for her there is only strict protocol.

In her wardrobe you won't find Gucci or red bottoms, but row after row of worn out scrubs that are beginning to fade. She comes to the beck and call of call lights, sometimes to those who aren't even her patients. She brings you coffee and blankets and tries to bring you some comfort during stressful situations. She scrubs filth off of people and bedside commodes that would make your hair curl. She tends to festering wounds and encounters various other vile things throughout the day that would make your stomach flop. She is called hurtful names, groped and fondled, spit at and is even judged by colleagues, doctors, and even patients by her title and not her abilities.

Despite her weary body, despite all the bad days and all the demanding task she completes each day, she does so with a vibrant smile. The smile you are familiar with. You do not know whether her shift is going well or not. You do not know if she is holding back tears or biting her tongue. All you see and all you will remember is her smile. She wears this smile and she tolerates whatever comes her way because the medical field is her passion. She does not mind the toll her work has on her both mentally and physically as long as she has helped somebody to the best of her ability. She is strong. Stronger then even she knows. She is a daughter who doesn't always get to see her parents. She is a wife who misses her spouse. She is a mother who works hard for her children. She is a aunt who is dedicated to her work. She is a grandmother who is still living her dream. In her heart she carries a great deal of empathy and perseverance. Next time you encounter a nurse, please remember this and please be kind.