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It’s Nurse’s Week! Recently, I was asked what being a nurse meant to me, having been in the field over 31 years.

Nursing means I always have the wonderful opportunity to connect with others. I feel privileged to help patients at their weakest moments—times of intense pain or sorrow—and to be a part of their proudest, happiest moments, such as handing them their newborn. There are times a patient may be in total exhaustion. Just think of a woman who has labored a full day and is now dealing with a screaming infant! Nursing provides me with an opportunity to make a difference in a patient’s life—hopefully for the better!

Nursing means connecting with colleagues on a level rarely found in other fields. When a nurse asks for assistance, help is there. Everything is dropped in times of crisis because all hands are required on deck. We count on each other’s wisdom and experience for crash c-sections, hemorrhages, code pinks and code blues, as well as for help in de-escalating tense situations. I may not know how to help everyone, but I know there’s a nurse around who has expertise to assist me.

Nursing offers highs and lows that I’d never experience if I’d stayed with my initial plan to become an engineer. Tears cried with a patient lessens their load and happiness shared with a patient keeps us coming back, shift after shift.

Nursing means I’m proud of the person I am when I swipe in at the hospital, and I carry that pride with me when I swipe out.

Nursing means I’ve become a better person, after 31 years of nursing, than I thought possible. And, I proudly believe nurses are the most trustworthy professionals because we all feel the same way!

Happy Nurse’s Week!