Nursing isn’t about having all of the right answers all of the time. Rather, nursing is holding the hand of a patient, looking them in the eyes and vowing to them that, although you are uncertain what the future holds for them, that you will take the best care of them as possible while they are your patient. Nurses are not there to offer false hope, but to give you the best care possible, even if that means showing you some tough love and making you into a more independent patient. Nurses are the ones who show the single mother, who is afraid and alone, where the blanket warmer is located, so that her little man will never be cold in the strange new place of the hospital. Nurses heal people and do things for patients who will never be able to repay them. The smile on a patient who walks out of the hospital after an extended stay is payment enough.
To the nurses in my life that have inspired me: Thank You! Thank you for showing me a glimpse of your strength and determination. Thank you for teaching me that sometimes, in order to deal with the stress of the hospital, it is perfectly acceptable to find humor in blood and guts and puke. Most of all, thank you for inspiring me to chase my dreams and motivating me to become just like you.
To my nursing teachers: Thank you for sharing your tips and tricks with me. Thank you for being brutally honest in educating me on exactly what I will soon face in a 12-hour shift. Thank you for reminding me to always have a spare stethoscope and to always keep little snacks in my pockets because during busy shifts there will be no time to sit down and eat a meal. Thank you for sharing your stories about your weekend shifts in class with me on Monday morning. I can tell the true passion you have for nursing from how you talk about your patients. Thank you for sharing those stories that are hard to talk about. Whether you realize it or not, you are making us better nurses by being vulnerable and letting us experience the courage and strength that you put into patient care. Although we may grumble about the numerous homework assignments and care plans that are due, just know that we love every minute of it, and an assignment being “too hard” only motivates us to become better.
To my nursing classmates: Thank you for being there through the late night study sessions, the long clinical days and for being a support system. Nursing school is impossible to conquer alone, but together we hold each other accountable and don’t let failure become an option. Thank you for sitting through numerous microbiology lectures, CPR classes, and even being there to offer a nod of approval during clinical classes. You motivate me to hold back tears, stay up late, and read everything twice, not for myself, but to save and impact the lives of countless patients.
Love and IV’s,
The student nurse
