11 Things to Remember When Nursing Gets Hard

Melissa Mills, BSN

It's easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out in healthcare today. You might be dealing with high-acuity patients, poor staffing, or an unfulfilling job. These things and more can cause you to forget all the fantastic benefits a career in nursing offers.

So, before you have a bad period at work, check out these 11 things to help you be better prepared to remember the good things about nursing.

Nursing offers a fantastic amount of flexibility

Nursing jobs come in all shapes and sizes. You can work at the bedside or in an office. You might choose to provide care in a hospital or other facility or venture into a patient's home and provide home care or hospice services. You can work part-time or full-time and a variety of shifts and schedules. While it might take some time to find the specialty and schedule that works best for you, it's totally possible, and finding your place in the industry feels excellent.

You Have a Great (but Dark) Sense of Humor

You deal with scary and stressful situations. To combat this pressure, you and your colleagues probably share a few laughs about things you've seen or dealt with at work. Your sense of humor is dark and many people, including those you work with, love that they can rely on you to turn most messed situations into comedy!

You Can Advance Your Career in Many Ways

Whether an LPN or RN, you can level up your career by returning to school. Suppose you're not interested in going back to school. In that case, you can also look at certifications and continuing education courses that can teach you about new areas and open doors to specialties.

Current State of Healthcare

While the last few years have been challenging due to the pandemic, you're still working in the most developed time in healthcare. There are treatment advancements that prolong lives and technologies that help you do everything from finding a job to analyzing patient data.

You Make a Difference

You care about your patients, and they notice. Not only do you help restore their bodies' health, but you also care for their emotional and spiritual wellness, and they are grateful that you're there to make them better.

Patients Remember You

Ask anyone who's ever stayed overnight in the hospital what they remember, and they'll say "the nurses.” Yeah, they may not remember your name, but they'll remember the time you spent with them and the help you gave.

Nurse Friends are the Best Friends

Nothing makes a nurse's heart happy like seeing the names of their closest work friends on the schedule next to their own. Your colleagues understand what you go through and just how hard being a nurse is. They have probably been there when you've been happy, sad, angry, or stressed and never left your side.

You Never Get Bored

No two shifts are alike. Your patients come and go, and you often work with a different team of nurses and allied healthcare professionals. In addition, treatments and care standards are continually evolving, and you must stay abreast of new protocols to provide evidence-based care. All of these changes keep you on your toes and learning.

You Stay Super Cool in Tough Situations

Handling ever-changing critical situations are just part of the job. However, being able to do it with ease takes talent. You carry this experience with you in all you do, which means others love being near you when things get tough.

Your Kids Know Not to Fake Being Sick

If you've ever told your kids they are going to school if they don't have a fever, you are probably a nurse! Your gut instinct into when they are faking it and how to keep them on track is spot on all the time.

Your Research Skills are Top-Notch

Whether you're looking for health info online or need to research a new medication you've never given before, you have the research skills of an FBI agent. You know how to find the latest info and put it to use too.

People Trust You (and Your Profession)

Nurses are the most trusted professionals in the US. This title means society knows you are the real deal and that you'll be there for them when they need you. Your scrubs, stethoscope, and a brain full of knowledge let others know they are in good hands.

Be Grateful Often

Think about these things anytime you feel disconnected from your career to feel grateful and get back on track.

Did we forget some of your favorite things to be grateful for in our list? Leave a comment with what you think about when nursing gets hard so we can think of them on hard days too.