Being a freshman in college, I have a lot to figure out for what I want to do in the future.

I was told to stay away from jobs that require too much work, causes too much stress on the body and mind, and don't pay good amounts of money in the long run. So, basically every job ever on the planet.

Since I'm interested in the medical field, I have thought about being a doctor.

Thinking that doctors make a ton of money for just diagnosing and treating patients that they have and they just move on to their next task. They don't really do anything else besides that. However, no one really sees the amount of work that nurses do, who are the supporting characters of the healthcare system.

I have met many people that want to be nurses.

One of my friends from high school is at college, planning to major in nursing. I'm a daughter to a single working parent who is a nurse as well so I understand the amount of work that nurses go through and they are barely recognized as real health professionals. Nurses are always on their feet and working around the clock to the point where many nurses are burned out. They are expected to do basically everything but have no say in the decisions of their patients. They always have a smile on their face even when they are drained and are extremely compassionate.

Without them, there wouldn't be anyone that would actually take care of the patients during their recovery, help patients count down when they are getting a shot, or making sure that patients are taking their medications and eating. Nevertheless, nurses do the hard, dirty work that no one else wants to do.

All that nurses have to go through, they are not getting paid enough for it.

A nurse gets paid only about an average of $70,000 a year, while a doctor gets paid over $100,000. They both have similar jobs of helping people in the healthcare field but the only difference, one gets paid more for the additional education they get.

I know that education is important but sometimes it's not just possible to drop everything you are doing and go back to school. Maybe you had a situation that conflicted with you going back to school or maybe you want to actually start your life. Honestly, I get it but nurses ten times harder than a doctor in the long run and they should be rewarded for that or we're going to end up with no nurses left.

Have you seen those videos where previous patients of nurses surprise them when they are able to walk?

It makes me cry every time. Nurses create a relationship that other health professionals don't usually get. They are more hands-on and are the ones who truly make an impact.

Don't get me wrong, health professionals do make an impact but nurses, in particular, have a lasting one. So one thing I have to say, if you know a nurse, thank them for all the work they do because you probably wouldn't be where you are without one.