5 reasons why I blog (and why every nurse should, too)

Lately I’ve been reflecting on my blogging life, thinking a lot about how it began and how it has developed to its current state. As a nurse, blogging has given me so much. There are countless experiences and numerous lessons I would not have learned had I never become a blogger. Being a nurse blogger, I often wonder why every nurse isn’t one as well. Here are five reasons why I blog, and why I feel every nurse should be blogging, too:

To show other nurses they are not alone

You remember that feeling, don’t you? That first job. Or that new job. That new hospital. Being the new person. Or better yet, being new to everything about nursing. Didn’t it help when you figured out that you weren’t alone, that many others have walked and will walk in those very shoes you were in? Why not pay it forward?

To share the good AND the bad

We should not look at our profession through rose-colored glasses. There are some amazing things that go on in our profession, but there are some equally ugly things that occur. We should be transparent when we represent nursing to those who are interested, those who are entering and those who are practicing in our profession. Ignoring the problems won’t solve them.

To cope via humor and truth

These two sort of go hand-in-hand with sharing the good and the bad. Nurses use humor as a strong coping mechanism for some of the most trying parts of our job. We deal with life and death. While we should be honest and truthful about our experiences, humor helps us bridge the gap to recovery and acceptance of those trying situations.

To help to validate experiences

There comes a time when we all face that one experience that is so far out in left field that we just can’t comes to terms with it. It can be debilitating and life altering. Wouldn’t it be nice to learn early on that these experience aren’t as unique and as personal as you first thought? That they are actually quite common, and, in some cases, almost expected as a nurse?!

To grow our profession

We are living in some very exciting times and the profession of nursing is gaining a lot of momentum. From its most basic education and entrance level all the way up the continuum to the advanced practice role, now is the time to help foster our profession by adding to the voice of our profession. There is strength in numbers. Let your voice be heard.

I believe nurses are the greatest storytellers. We have been given a wonderful gift: We witness and help the human condition at its most vulnerable moments. What better way to tell our story than through blogging?