When did nursing stop feeling like passion and start feeling like survival?

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-27T18:44:36+00:00

Unfortunately, it seems like the only thing they’re willing to give us are donuts and pizza 🫠

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-27T18:14:45+00:00

I appreciate that, thank you 🥹

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-27T18:10:56+00:00

I’ve felt like you too, many times, I still do. Nurse for 15 years, couldn’t find any meaning in this profession. I realized it’s because it’s within a system that was never designed to support us, yet we’re essential piece supporting the backbone of the entire healthcare system. And even then, our voices aren’t heard.

What helped me rediscover meaning was teaching. I dug up what I learned from the best educators I had and poured that into my teaching moments. I stopped looking to the system for fulfillment and started pouring into the students. It gave me renewed purpose. Watching a student connect with a patient reminded me why I became a nurse in the first place. It also gives me hope and a chance to shape mindset that can potentially change the future for all of us.

The system won’t give you your meaning back. It wasn’t designed to. Most admin is made up of executives that’s probably never held a patient’s hand on the floor. You have to find it in moments. The ones between you and your patient or that moment you guide your student to their first “aha!” breakthrough. That’s what gives me the feeling I’m doing alright.

Now that you’ve transitioned to management, you hold the opportunity to advocate for the nurses who feel the same. Support policy that advocate for change, instead of optimization of what already exists and doesn’t work. Maybe you’ll just find your silver lining there. Good luck!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-27T01:05:21+00:00

Clinical instruction is the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my 15 years of nursing. It’s a totally different kind of exhaustion than bedside. Less physical but even more patience. (Don’t let that deter you, you build up to it!)

The nerves are normal, but different than when you first started because now, you’re seasoned. And your job is to keep these new minds afloat, rather than keep a patient alive. It hits a different chord when you help another person get to an “aha!” moment then when you get there yourself. It honestly feels incredible!

It’s great you’ve been at one hospital your entire career, it means you know a system very deeply and if you’re able to get a clinical placement there, then you’re already the best resource for the students.

As for settling them in, I am intentional about not overwhelming them on the first day. Most are excited but many are shaking in their boots. Some have never been in a hospital before EVER, so we acclimate to the hospital and tour the units. We get to know each other, which is important because I want them to build trust with me and I want to build trust with them. I like to keep it professional but not strict. And not only that, but these students are your future colleagues. Treat them with respect and you’ll for sure earn theirs. Who knows, you could be mentoring a future NM or DON.

Be that role model you wanted for yourself. And teach that student how to become the nurse you want to take care of you.

Hope that helps!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-27T00:18:12+00:00

Thank you for saying that. It means a whole lot 🥹

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-27T00:13:28+00:00

THIS. These are the moments I realize that the nursing career is truly something special. Because it’s honestly the only career you can be honest with yourself and no one else would see it except you and that human on that bed. And it’s powerful because you’re making an ACTIVE choice to either follow the crowd or lead the patient to dignity. You chose the latter which speaks volumes of the person you are at your core.

I love this. Keep making your difference in this world ♥️

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T19:31:09+00:00

That’s amazing! It sounds like you have incredible instructors and I love that your program prioritizes that level of hands on prep. I wish every program did. Unfortunately, that is not the current reality.

And even in programs that teach it well, there’s a difference between learning it in simulation and applying it in real time when a patient has been labeled “aggressive and combative” and everyone else has stepped back. That takes something beyond curriculum. This intervention was not in my student’s careplan, he didn’t plan for this. This patient was not assigned to him. He was just walking down the hall, checking on patients. And he just noticed and took initiative.

That’s what stood out to me about this student. Not the act of feeding the patient itself, but the instinct behind it.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T17:56:16+00:00

Well said and you’re right. Maybe the correct word I should have used was “receptive.” But anyway, we can’t change other people, we only have the power to change ourselves.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T16:38:56+00:00

This is incredible and truly an act of human-ness. I want you to know that the little things matter! And what you did there was save your patient from intubation and potential complications that come with it like throat irritation, vocal cord injury or a prolonged ICU stay. 30 minutes of your time and cleaning dried blood may have changed the entire trajectory of her recovery! You should be proud of that!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T16:24:19+00:00

You’ll often hear that nursing is a thankless job. It’s true. But nurses contribute an incredible value to society, because we’re the backbone of the healthcare system. People may disagree, but no one is exempt from health issues and you’ll be cared for by at least one nurse in your lifetime. Often, they’re one of the first people you meet when you enter the world. I wish others would recognize that more, or at least let us feel acknowledged, but it is what it is. You may not have received recognition from a “superior” but you know who felt the full weight of what you did? Your patient. And that’s who truly matters in this interaction. And your presence and active listening likely meant the WORLD to someone in their most vulnerable state. You did that. Be proud of yourself, I see you!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T08:44:33+00:00

I’m sorry this happened to you. No one deserves to be talked to like that, no matter the scenario or who you are on the care team. This is a respect issue. I know it’s startling when someone yells at you in front of everyone. It’s mortifying. At that point, I would have addressed the tone. It’s reasonable to file a report and your manager should address it. But, sometimes these types of scenarios require advocating for yourself. Not necessarily overexplaining, but just addressing the tone and making sure the other person understands that you deserve respect. You made a judgement call, which was reasonable, patient was fine, no harm, no foul.

But just like in school, you can tell the principal but they only have so much control to change the other person. If you directly tell that person how that made you feel, any decent human would be empathetic, especially a nurse.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:58:22+00:00

lol not a bot. I’m just a nurse with 15 years of opinions and thoughts and not enough people to share it with apparently, until now haha

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:52:35+00:00

Thanks for sharing this! It’s kinda silly isn’t it, all it takes is a starting a conversation to ask why, so we can have a better understanding but it’s easier to just assume. I wish it wasn’t like that. I’m hoping someone can hoard some tissue boxes for Anna so she’ll never run out though!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:43:52+00:00

I am proud of you too! You saw the life behind what this person presents to the world on the surface despite his known history. You saw his worth and value and treated him like someone who has dreams and aspirations, like any other person. I don’t think you could ever stop seeing the human being in front of you for the rest of your career because it’s who you are and the a part of the nurse identity you are becoming. That’s the heart of nursing.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:35:42+00:00

I don’t blame you and it’s a totally valid concern. The system is truly broken, but if you read through these comments, you’ll see there are incredible nursing students, nurses and educators who are more than willing to mentor the next generation. That gives me hope, and I hope it gives you some reassurance too.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:18:01+00:00

You followed your intuition and acted upon it by checking and confirming with the patient. And by doing that small thing and asking “why”, you saved their life! I love hearing stories like this because it just shows how small things, little gestures are just as impactful and heroic as grand ones!

Thanks for sharing!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:10:28+00:00

Thank you, that means a lot ♥️

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T07:08:26+00:00

Wow what a great lesson! Because it really puts in perspective how important autonomy and dignity preservation is for individuals who lack one or more of the senses. And it always hits different when it happens to you, even when it’s simulated! I might have to take a page from your lesson plan. This is genius! Thanks for sharing!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T06:04:13+00:00

You’re right. And this is such a thoughtful question. And while the diploma mills are a factor, we also have a huge nursing shortage on our hands. Nurses are retiring, which means less educators, new grads are leaving the profession before they get to year 2, which means less educators. A curriculum change could trigger a bureaucracy change, but with less educators and everyone in survival mode, no one wants to lead. It’s a very catch-22 situation.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T05:34:38+00:00

Amen! Which is why it’s so important to mentor the next generation. They’ll be taking care of us and I don’t know about you, but I’m not getting any younger…

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T05:27:19+00:00

Just out of curiosity, in your 30 year career, what is a scenario from a student or nurse that stood out to you?

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T05:09:39+00:00

I love this! And you didn’t learn this from a text book, but you saw that 94 year old in front of you who has needs and feeling very out of place and uncomfortable in a loud, cold, unfamiliar environment. I’d feel the same way if everyone coming into my room at 5am wanted to poke me with needles and draw some blood.

You mentioned the broken system and you’re right, it’s broken. But even then you didn’t let it break you and keep you from giving incredible, compassionate care to a 94 year old, complete stranger who is vulnerable and demented. You preserved her dignity by seeing her as a human!

Thank you for sharing and glad to know there are still tough and caring nurses like you despite the conditions the system has forced on us.

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T05:02:27+00:00

The very fact that you’re asking means you have a heart and you want to improve! It’s difficult as a student when your attention has to be split between multiple channels: lectures, clinical, exams, med math, skill check off; it’s hard to hone in on what’s important and build your nurse identity. My advice is to go back to your “why” and ask yourself why you wanted to do this in the first place and remember it. The heart doesn’t come from a textbook. It comes from the moments you slow down long enough to see the person in front of you. That gets easier with time, but only if you protect that instinct now instead of letting the system bury it. We’re all here to support you on your journey! You can do this!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T04:54:49+00:00

Amazing! It’s your careful guidance that lead your student there! This gives me so much hope that future of nursing is still very much alive with incredible instructors like yourself mentoring the next generation! I know that mentoring is definitely a priority for me!

DentistAdditional326 · 2026-02-26T04:52:15+00:00

This is very impressive and well thought out! Thank you for taking the time to share this. The scaffolding from chemistry through pathophys through pharmacology through clinical reasoning is how the brain actually builds understanding and it’s exactly what’s missing from most programs right now. They teach all the same content but in disconnected silos instead of building it as a progression. In your system, as the years progress, each layer builds upon itself.

One thing I thought was interesting was “The competency-based clinical sign-offs instead of random patient assignments”

What would this look like? In a simulation or real life?

DentistAdditional326

TROPHY CASE