This year marks five years since I became a nurse—and let me tell you, nothing prepares you for what it really means to wear the badge. To those who aren’t in healthcare, nursing might seem like a rewarding, well-paying job where you pass meds, check vitals, and go home. But any nurse reading this knows… that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Behind every shift is a mountain of physical and emotional labor that most people never see. We’re not just nurses—we're also psychologists, pharmacists, social workers, tech support, housekeepers, and sometimes even security when things escalate. And yes, we do all this while managing life-or-death situations with a calm, professional face.
As someone who’s always been incredibly kind and soft-spoken, nursing has taught me something no textbook ever did: how to grow thick skin. I’ve been disrespected by physicians, dismissed by coworkers, snapped at by patients, and questioned by families. I’ve had to learn—sometimes the hard way—how to advocate for myself and speak up for what’s right, not just for me, but for my patients, too.
You develop a voice you didn’t know you had.
People think we “just follow orders.” But what they don’t see is the mental load we carry every single shift—questioning dosages, noticing when something is off, being the one who catches mistakes before they become tragedies. We are the safety net. And that’s a heavy responsibility to carry, especially on days when you’ve barely eaten, barely sat down, and barely held it together.
Being a nurse is not easy. It takes a level of mental and physical strength that is hard to explain unless you've lived it. The trauma, the chaos, the grief, the pressure—it doesn’t end when we clock out. It stays with us. And yet, we show up shift after shift, not because it’s easy, but because we care.
To every nurse out there: I see you. I know what you're carrying. And if no one has told you lately—you are doing an incredible job.
And to everyone else: next time you meet a nurse, remember—behind that smile is someone who has probably seen and done more than you’ll ever realize.