The Gifts of Nursing

Nurses spend most of their careers giving to others...they continuously give of their time, their minds and their hearts as they provide the best care for their patients, often with little or no formal recognition for a job well done. Being a nurse can be mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting. Not once in a while, but every day. However the gifts of nursing remind us why all of our giving is worth it in the end. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

The Gifts of Nursing

It is better to give then to receive...those classic words of wisdom ring especially true for those who chose nursing as their profession. Many of the "gifts" of nursing, for me, have actually been moments in time, memories about patients and feelings about certain experiences with them which help remind me why I became a nurse. Others are related to the nursing profession in general- those perks that we all can appreciate. The following are some of the gifts from my career as a pediatric emergency nurse:

1) The adrenaline rush that comes from working with my peers to intervene quickly to help save a critically ill child; the thrill of succeeding.

2) The instant gratification that comes from seeing so many ill and injured children feel better within hours because children are SO resilient.

3) The satisfaction that comes from helping to collect evidence towards the prosecution of sexual offenders and child abusers- and from helping to remove the children from those situations.

4) The laughs that come from impromptu conversations with patients and their families- the happiness I feel from knowing that they feel comfortable enough to have these conversations with me.

5) Educating many parents about how to care for their ill or injured child at home and empowering them to do so.

6) Earning the trust of young children who have been injured and are brought in as pediatric traumas; the sense of accomplishment that comes from being able to reassure them by simply looking into their eyes, holding their hand, and speaking to them gently in terms that they understand.

7) Collaborating with other members of the healthcare team to support bedside presence during multiple codes and at the end of life; helping to advocate for this and facilitate it. Seeing the sense of closure that this brings to families.

? Helping to keep a young child alive until her mother could arrive to hold her during her last moments on earth.

9) Giving a newborn baby who was abandoned in a restaurant's bathroom his first bottle, and holding him for several hours after my shift was over. Witnessing the goodness of others who came in to pray for him. Seeing him again later that year with his new family, as a happy and healthy 6-month old.

10) The inspiration from witnessing the strength and love of a family who is losing their young child to cancer yet still is able to experience joy and humor together- learning through them that death is a part of life, even when it happens much too early.

11) The simple joy that comes from being able to hold babies and converse with young children on a regular basis.

12) The flexibility of my schedule- the fact that with every major phase of my working life- from young adulthood, to parenthood, I have had the opportunity to alter my work schedule to meet my family's needs because nursing is a 24/7 profession!

13) The endless options of the nursing profession...I can think of no other career which offers so many options, from clinical practice to research, writing, teaching and consulting.

14) The learning that never ends. There will never be a point at which I know everything there is to know as a nurse, and that's how I like it. I see something interesting and learn something new every week.

15) The sense of pride I feel from being part of a healthcare team which works together to do amazing things for our patients- from helping to heal them, to alleviating their suffering, to advocating for them so that they are safe at home. Being a small part of this is both an honor and a privilege.

These gifts remind me that despite all of the giving that nurses do on a regular basis, what we receive in return is far greater. This, to me, is the greatest gift of nursing. Please share some of your gifts as well!

I'm a pediatric emergency nurse of 12+ years and a clinical instructor for UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Nursing.

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Trauma Columnist

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

88 Articles; 21,249 Posts

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

What a great article!

My biggest gift came many years ago when I was the night charge in a level one trauma center. I answered the phone and it was the mother of a pt I had cared for earlier in the week. Her 6 week old daughter came in as a full arrest and was pronounced shortly after arrival.

The mother thanked me thru her tears for wrapping her baby in a warm blanket and providing a rocking chair for her to rock her one more time.

To this day, that memory really stands out for me when I like millions of other nurses, I just considered it "part of the job."

We do make a huge impact in some of the most unlikeliest places.

Libby1987

3,726 Posts

I don't save lives but I have a sense of accomplishment and cool human interactions everyday in home health care. Along with a great schedule (except now during EMR transition LOL) and a commensurate income.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Being a Peds nurse for most of my career has allowed the gifts of resiliency as well; my most recent experience of being a supervisor in Sub-Acute/LTC engaging with older adults in their period of loss of function, or those past missteps regain self confidence and empowerment; it has helped evolve my nursing practice to recognize nurses as life-coaches, healing mangers in the process of patient care; that is a gift that nurses can harness and transcend in any specialty, and it is very empowering!

njdrn1

3 Posts

I'm a home health RN with 13yrs in almost all the hospital floors andv2 yrs of home health I had a patient who was 97 yrs old. He had macular degeneration, and very HOH. Best thing is he's a retired preacher. Every visit I learned something new about his life. I learned a lot from him. Every visit, he had a lesson from the bible that he taught to me. I consider this to be a great gift. No material object can add up to what he has taught me.

njdrn1

3 Posts

I don't save lives but I have a sense of accomplishment and cool human interactions everyday in home health care. Along with a great schedule (except now during EMR transition LOL) and a commensurate income.

I love home health Libby. I can actually spend time with my patients and do actual teaching of their health.