The work put in to receive proper credentials seems never ending and once you graduate and you think you’re all done, guess what! Time for another test to prove you really know what you’re doing. To get those two little letters after your name (RN) may seem so little to a bystander but in reality, it’s everything. Here are just a few things a typical nurse knows to be true at some point or another in their career:

1. You never know what day it is due to the endlessly long shifts that start one day but end the next.
2. No topic is ever too gross or off limits at the dinner table (surprising all those who are not nurses).
3. You’re typically working with people who are experiencing one of their worst days (I mean they are in a hospital), but they feel immense gratitude towards you for getting them through that time.
4. The word nurse might be singular, but it’s really a team effort to help the patient. The friends from this profession will last a lifetime due to the literal blood, guts and tears you share.
5. You might find yourself partaking in non-human hours if your schedule is mostly night shifts, which makes it difficult when planning to do just about anything.
6. The only way to survive the unpleasant aspects of the job is to joke about it with your coworkers and friends and then move on.
7. To you, the human body and entire medical field is the most fascinating thing out there and you’re always eager to learn more but … others may not appreciate your constant “fun facts.”
8. You never have to worry about what to wear to work because it’s always the same: scrubs.
9. The type of people and age range you come across in the nursing world is incredible and the best part is that everyone is in it for the same reason: to help those who are in need.
10. 10. You do the work that the average person would be appalled at, but you actually enjoy it.

All in all, you receive way less credit than you deserve. Thank you nurses everywhere!