1. You form unique bonds with your patients. Nurses have a much different relationship with their patients than physicians do. We spend all day with patients taking care of their every need, as opposed to doctors who spend less time directly with patients. So when you go into work for an eight- or 12-hour shift and you’re working with the same group of patients — many of whom are very sick — you form a special bond with them. They’re depending on you to make sure you assess them correctly, to make sure they’re stable, to watch their lab work, to give them the right medications. But above and beyond that, you’re there for them and you get to know them. I usually start off with meetings with patients asking about their personal life. I know about most of my patients’ families, how many kids they have, how many grandkids. Being able to get to know somebody and support them when they’re at their most vulnerable and sick is a really wonderful, gratifying feeling.
2. You’re not just taking care of patients — you’re taking care of their families too. Fathers, wives, partners, kids — everybody is scared and everybody at the bedside wants information. Sometimes the patient is too sick to even absorb what you’re saying, so family members are the ones who need updates on how their loved one is doing. And they don’t always understand everything the doctor has told them. Sometimes the doctor is using all these big words and medical terminology, and they’re nodding their heads, but when the doctor leaves, they still have questions. So you help clarify and explain things in terms that families can understand.
3. Your patients will inspire you every day. I worked for years in the emergency room, and I saw so many tragedies. Now I work with cancer patients. While you’d think that’d be a depressing place to work, I’ve found it to be the opposite. I’ve seen a group of women cancer survivors, some of who have been pretty sick and have incurable breast cancer, decide to band together and complete a triathlon as a team. I’ve seen patients diagnosed with cancer go through treatment and come out on the other side cancer-free and get their life back. On the other side of it, there are lots of people who know from the beginning that they’re not going to make it. But to see them fight the disease anyway so they can spend more time watching their kids grow up, watching their grandkids grow up, or just doing whatever it is they need to do to close out their life, that’s just as inspiring.
Reference: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/a47143/the-best-things-about-being-a-nurse/
