What are nurses grateful for?

In a recent article published on medmagazine.com, author Rich Bluni (Inspired Nurse) revealed the surprising power of gratitude to inspire your work life. Take Bluni’s advice and make a list today of the things you’re grateful for, and share it with your coworkers.

As we all know, May is the perfect time of year for nurses to appreciate those around them and to feel appreciated. To get you inspired, below is a collection of “gratefulness” responses from medmagazine.com readers.

Nursing is my second career. My daughter and I went to nursing school together. I never thought I’d get the chance to go. The day I graduated nursing school was one of the proudest days of my life. I’ve been so blessed to work with and learn from the nurses I’ve worked with over the years. Every day is different and rewarding. You learn something from every patient you meet. I’ve witnessed so many wonderful things and met so many amazing people. What a glorious profession. I’m so proud to be a part of it.
—Linda Johnson

I am most grateful for finding a job in nursing, even in this small town and in a bad economy. I’m also grateful for the residents. They can make you laugh when work seems to overload you.
—Stephanie Harris Zoller

I’m grateful for the wonderful team of nurses who are the well-oiled machine that helps get the job done, even when we’re short-staffed or extremely busy!! I love nursing!!
—Deb Mallison Parker

I’m really grateful that I landed the Nurse Manager position this week in California for so many reasons. I have been looking for almost a full year after being laid off last July. You don’t really understand how much it means to you to be a nurse until you can’t work in the field. I can’t wait to get back in the ring and start advocating for my patients, providing excellent care and working with a new team to bring improvement to healthcare!
—Chandra Matthews-Gibson

I am most grateful for the wide variety of experience that the group of RNs I work with have, and the fact that so many of them are willing to share their knowledge with others. Learning doesn’t end just because you walk across that stage and get your diploma or stand up there and get pinned. Every time I go to work I learn something new, and hopefully will be able to share some of what I’ve learned with someone else.
—Delta Pierce Stafford

The people in my life who make me laugh—at the most absurd things—under the most stressful situations!
—Cindy Hoover

My residents. They make my day every day, and cause me never to regret becoming a nurse!
—Sandy Wood Boren

I’m grateful for the personal growth this job has given me. I used to be so very set in a lot of different beliefs. Thank you to the patients who have touched my life. I have been given an opportunity to self-reflect on a number of things I thought were “right” or “wrong.” It’s great to always be learning about yourself.
—Chanda Kim

Working with so many people with so many illnesses has made me realize I should enjoy life, spend more time with my family and less time at work! You really never know when it may be you in that hospital bed, wishing you had spent more time with your family. I started talking with a patient who had recently lost her husband. She said that he was a great husband, and that he died from cancer. For years my husband had asked me to switch from working midnights to days. I didn’t want to switch to days because I would lose money. After talking with this patient, that week I put in my request for day shift. In the end, you can never regain TIME! It’s nice that nursing allows us to gain so many other people’s views, and if we use this knowledge, we nurses are at an advantage!
—Amy Randazzo