These motivational quotes about nursing are sure to raise your spirits in a time of need.
It’s no secret that nursing can be a stressful career. From first-year nursing students to experienced veterans, all nurses have encountered several occasions where they felt overwhelmed by discouragement and defeat. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve been there. You’ve fought that battle before, and you came out a better nurse and a stronger person. You’ve been able to do so because just when you feel like there’s nothing left for you to do, you remember: you are a nurse. You knew what you signed up for, and you did so without hesitation because you knew that despite the tough times, you truly could make a difference. It takes a special type of individual to do what you do. You may have wanted to be a nurse from the start, but you have made it this far because you are resilient enough to overcome the temptation of giving in. That wouldn’t be possible without a deep-rooted and unwavering belief in the purpose.
Yet still, in an environment as chaotic as nursing, it’s easy to lose sight of that passion and forget the reasons you do what you do. Sometimes, you need to take a step back and broaden your perspective in order to see all the good happening around you. There are many subtle reminders – most of which go unnoticed – that could help you rediscover that enthusiasm and love for nursing. Embracing that type of positive attitude can go a long way in regards to avoiding burnout.
That having been said, there are several other quick methods to help restore your passion for nursing. If you’re anything like me, you have a fond appreciation for a great quote. There’s something truly special about the way that you are able to relate to someone else’s words in a manner that encapsulates your feelings and lifts your soul. Therefore, I have collected 20 of my favorite quotes about nursing that will help motivate you and get you through those tough times. Enjoy!
“The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life for the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the infant, the knowledge and confidence of the young mother, and a voice for those too weak to speak.”
“Definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet for only a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs.”
“I may not be a doctor, but I am a nurse. And if you are someone whose mind says ‘just a nurse’ please, go ahead and ask the nurse you know best what it is that they do. I think you may be surprised.
I am a nurse. I didn’t become a nurse because I couldn’t cut it in med school or failed organic chemistry, but rather because I chose this. I work to maintain my patient’s dignity through intimate moments, difficult long term decisions, and heartbreaking situations. I share in the joy of newly-born babies and miraculously-cured diseases. I share in the heartbreak of a child taken too soon, a disease too powerful, a life changed forever. My patient is often an entire family. I assess and advocate. Sometimes I wipe bottoms, often I give meds, but that isn’t the extent of what I do. There are people above me and the people below. I work closely with both; without them, I could not do what I do well. I chose this profession and love almost every minute of it. I know I am not alone, and I appreciate all of the nurses who work alongside me. Many of them have shaped me into the nurse I am. Someday I will shape others into the nurse they will be. This wasn’t my plan B. It was my plan A, and I would gladly choose it again.”
“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul, and body of our patients, their families, and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
“I’m an ex-convict. I have AIDS. I’m a prostitute. I’m poor. I’m old. I’m a lesbian. I aborted my baby. I’m a teenage mom. I’m a victim of rape. I’m a drug addict. I’m an alcoholic. I’m a beggar. I have cancer. I have a contagious disease… but the nurse said, “I’ll take care of you.’”
"To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a nurse."
“Being a nurse isn’t about grades, it’s about being who we are. No book can teach you how to cry with a patient. No class can teach you how to tell their family that their parents have died or are dying. No professor can teach you how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath. A nurse is not about the pills or the charting. It’s about being able to love people when they are at their weakest moments.”
“The longer I’m in the profession, the more experiences shape my life, the more amazing colleagues influence me, the more I see the micro and macro power of nursing.”
“Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.”
“Sometimes I inspire my patients; more often they inspire me.”
“Nursing care comes in many forms. Sometimes it is the ability to make someone feel physically comfortable by various means. Other times it is the ability to improve the body’s ability to achieve or maintain health. But often it is an uncanny yet well-honed knack to see beyond the obvious and address, in some way, the deeper needs of the human soul.”
“Nurse: Just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate everything and soft enough to understand everyone.”
“The doctors may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.”
“Authentic service can be seen in the nurse who has nurtured herself, the healer who has been healed. It is the service we hear when the nurse can speak from her heart to the patient these simple and humble words, ‘I am here. Let’s heal together’”
“When I think about all the patients and their loved ones that I have worked with over the years, I know most of them don’t remember me nor I them, but I do know that I gave a little piece of myself to each of them and they to me and those threads make up the beautiful tapestry in my mind that is my career in nursing.”
“Save one life, you’re a hero. Save 100 lives, you’re a nurse.”
“Nurses help people. And in doing so, we receive the unmatched satisfaction of knowing that we have made a difference to the patients and their families.”
"We often think of nursing as giving meds on time, checking an X-ray to see if the doctor needs to be called, or taking an admission at 2:00 a.m. with a smile on our faces. Too often, we forget all the other things that make our job what it truly is — caring and having a desire to make a difference."
“The character of the nurse is as important as the knowledge she possesses.”
“Nursing is great for so many reasons, but there is one reason that means more than any poll results, amount of money, or job security: Nurses make a difference.”
Additional Nursing Quotes You'll Love:
- 10 Quotes That Will Make You Proud To Be A Nurse
- 5 Inspiring Quotes for Nurses (From Anonymous Sources)
- Our 20 Favorite Florence Nightingale Quotes
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