For nurses, being thankful is a state of being. We spend our time at work and away from work thinking on how fortunate we are to be “ok.” Here are my top ten reasons to be extra-thankful at this time of year:
I am so thankful I have a paying job. Looking at the economy, both nationwide and within my own healthcare system, I’m thankful to be able to punch in when so many people can’t claim a paycheck.
I am thankful for my patients. Constantly I am educated and humbled by them. I meet some amazing people and am so happy to care for them.
I am thankful for my co-workers. My team and how well we work together is crucial to my success as a nurse.
I am thankful for my specialty. I am one of those nurses who got a job right away in the area of nursing I love. I have friends who are “stuck” in a job they hate in healthcare and that is a really hard path. It makes our already difficult profession almost impossible to bear! I love what I do, which is a huge reason to give thanks.
I am thankful to be alive. Life is so much more precious to those of us who see people losing it while we are “just at work.” Nursing has taught me to cherish not only my life, but all the lives around me.
I am thankful for my able body. How often have I seen nurses injured on the job or because of the job which makes it impossible for them to work? Thank God I am healthy right now!
I am thankful for health insurance. Part of being a nurse is having good benefits, and in our world today, that means a lot! With the healthcare crisis looming and my own encounters with patients that don’t have the luxury of health insurance, I am frequently reminded of how valuable being able to obtain healthcare for myself and my family is.
I am thankful for my faith. I believe that not only do nurses need faith, nursing builds our faith. Thank God for prayer–it gets me through every shift.
I am thankful for my education. If I hadn’t made it through nursing school, I wouldn’t be here today! I am so thankful for the people and the school that provided my good foundation in nursing. I use their wisdom every shift. And every time I pay my student loan I am reminded of just how valuable my education is to me and my loved ones.
I am thankful for comfortable shoes. It may seems like a small thing, but only other healthcare professionals know what I mean when I say, “God bless supportive shoes.”
I am thankful for all the people in my life who love me. They put up with a lot. ‘Nuff said.
What are you thankful for? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
This article was republished with permission from SCRUBS Magazine.
I am thankful for being a nurse. The opportunity to be the voice for the voiceless. Though very tasking, nursing is one of those few professions where you get your reward by merely doing your job! I am thankful for my patients all of whom are happy to see me each morning. Nothing can beat that!
After practicing 36 years, I appreciate my family that have supported me, gone on without me over weekends and holidays, birthdays, etc. I appreciate how they listened when I came home and vented about a bad day of being short staff or cried due to losing a special patient. I apologize for the times I ruined meals taking medical jargon at the table that doesn’t bother me anymore while I eat. What I guess I am trying to say is thank you for supporting me in my career because I certainly could not have done it without you!
I will be so thankfull for each my collague who can help me to receiving my intention in order to work in another nursing world .I love nursing because it has taken me identity and passion since 1999.after aboyt twenty years working AT different clinical wards , I feel I need to change .
I’m am grateful for the people I work with and don’t need pray or religion to be a good strong person that’s helps others. Believe in yourself and others
Personally, I am thankful for the security of a vocation that is so gratifying and still amazed that it chose me in the first place!
when I had my heart problems a couple years ago and spent a month in the hospital I look back and realize that I wasn’t the “ideal” patient! Thanks to all the nurses who treated me and helped me back to health ! I want to thank you all for not killing me!
I’m thankful for the past 35 (out of 40) years as an Operating Room RN. So much had changed in these 35 years; technology has led us in many new directions, & I always felt challenged to keep learning new instrumentation, techniques, procedures, & equipment. It’s such a dynamic area, no one is ever bored! I think, as we do brain or heart surgery, how we literally have our patient’s life in our hands! What a feeling – it’s amazing to see the human body inside & out, as an OR nurse; what a great privilege to be there at a person’s most vulnerable, & biggest time of need.
I love this positive, uplifting article. In spite of the stress and hardships that come with being a nurse, I am thankful too for many of the things listed in the article. Nursing is difficult, but it does come with many rewards. I have worked a few places that were staffed well with wonderful people. The patients received the exact care and time they needed.
I am thankful for everyone who has helped me in my journey to be a nurse leader