Sacrifice, Persistence and a Huge Heart: What it takes to make it as a Nurse

Wow.

I always believed that Nursing was always one of the most difficult careers out there. Hearing from 10 nurses confirmed that, but it also showed me that I really knew very little about what it takes to work as nurse. Twelve hour shifts, the physical demand, the emotional toll and the sheer amount of work they must complete in the course of a shift are just some of the challenges that nurses must navigate in order to be successful in their career. We're going to breakdown everything they shared with us and show you why you should appreciate the nurses in your life!

How Demanding is it?

Ever wondered how hard nurses have to work to be successful in their profession? One of my favorite responses from our questionnaire pretty much sums it up:"What I always tell people is trust me, nurses work damn hard or they don't last in the profession". On the physical side of things, most nurses are generally on their feet for 12 hours, must lift and move patients, and often have to sacrifice optimal lifting positions for patient comfort. It's not hard to imagine how twelve hours of maneuvering in awkward positions could lead to muscle fatigue and problems such as low back pain.

The other aspect of this that it perhaps missed by some people is that nurses often have to move patients who are dealing with mental health problems or who are confused about where they are and what's happening to them. This means that they must try to move a patient who is resisting them and this can lead to injury. Two of the nurses we interviewed reported being injured at work wile trying to move a patient who was struggling; one suffered a rotator cuff injury while the other suffered a neck injury. Both still feel the effects of these incidents while at work.

In addition to the physical demand, we have to recognize the mental and emotional demand that these nurses have to face every day. All of the nurses that we spoke with reported that the mental and emotional stress they experience is one of the most difficult parts of the job. One indicated that they felt they had had to be mentally switched on and alert for the entire 12 hours of the shift, while another said they are constantly thinking about patients and the various policies they must follow.

The emotional demand that these nurses carry is immense! They see people struggle with activities of daily living, see parents lose their young children, are accused of inadequate care by patients and family, and must often make a decision on which patient is higher priority based on their condition (and most times this is not a simple decision). Nurses witness a great deal of suffering within a shift, and almost all of the ones we spoke to said that they carry work home with them as they find themselves wishing they could do more for a patient or worry about one who is in pain. It's clear that while their shift is typically 12 hours long, their work is never far from their mind.

How does being a nurse impact other aspects of your life?

Almost all of the nurses we interviewed indicated that their shift work has a significant impact on other aspects of their life. They reported that exercising was difficult as they either felt too exhausted from work or were afraid to exercise before a night shift as they knew that had a taxing evening ahead of them. We interviewed a high profile runner who indicated that she often trains on only 2-3 hours of sleep (a far from ideal number in preparation for intense exercise). Many reported that maintaining a healthy diet was a difficult as there was little time during work to eat and that they had little motivation to cook a meal right after returning home from a long shift. In short, it appears difficult for nurses to achieve a healthy work-life balance because of the nature of their job. I cannot speak for what these nurses learn in school, but it seems that a course that focuses on how to adapt to shift work, make time for exercise, and plan meals would certainly be beneficial. I suppose that might sound like something everyone should know, but this profession deals in the lives of other people; how can we expect them to provide the best possible care when they themselves are chronically overtired and overworked?

What about relationships? The nurses we spoke with indicated that it was challenging to start or maintain romantic relationships because of their work schedule. Many also reported that because they did so much for their patients at work, they had very little left to give to their loved ones at home. Social relationships prove difficult as well with their work either causing them to miss social gatherings, or leaving them too tired to justify hanging out with friends before another day of work. Another aspect that was highlighted by some of our nurses was that if you have children, it's even harder to try and find time for social events and exercise in the limited time you have between shifts. These are just some of the sacrifices that nurses must make in order to succeed in the field.

What do you want people to understand about the profession?

Think you know what being a nurse is all about? Here are some of the things that these nurses want you to understand about the field of nursing:

• The physical demands add up after a full day of work

• We always worry if we can do more for the patient

• "We don't just hand out pills. We do vitals, head to toe assessments, personal care, risk management, simple to complex wound care, and try our hardest to care for the patient as a whole"

• We don't just follow the doctors orders; we are a collaborative team of health professionals

• How hard it is to have a social life and exercise on such little sleep

• Impact of mental exhaustion on stress, stress of patients perception of them and how the patient does not see the work they're doing for them when not in the room (i.e advocating for doctor to come check on the patient)

• "We are almost always required to complete tasks that are part of another disciplines scope as we are the one health professional at the bedside 24/7"

Did you learn anything from that? It was eye-opening to me to learn how many hats a nurse must wear in the run of a shift. They act as teachers, exercise instructors, social workers and so much more during the course of a shift. It's clear that nurses have a much bigger role in health care than just making sure a patient takes their meds on time!

What do you love about your job?

I'll let the nurses tell you exactly why they love their job:

"Make a difference in families lives"

"Help people"

"See the giggles of sick kids, the smile of a kid beating cancer"

"Making people smile when they're at their most vulnerable"

"Ability to help people physically, mentally and emotionally"

"Helping people to get better and being there in their time of need"

"Enjoy a career where I can help people"

"Helping people at their most vulnerable and seeing them thrive"

"Friendships with fellow nurses, being in it together and sharing the feelings of stress that we experience as part of the job"

"Love taking care of patients, there are better outcomes at the Waterford than people believe"

So there you have it! Being a nurse is one of the most rewarding careers you can have if you enjoy helping people, but it is by no means easy. We asked these nurses if they thought people understood just how challenging their job can be and their answers ranged from "yes" to "some do, some don't" to an emphatic "HELL NO!". One nurse answered with this: "BUT I think there are still quite a few people who stigmatize nurses and think we all complain and want way more than we deserve. So yes and no. All I wish is that everyone didn't judge a job/career till they worked it for a day, that's how I view it". I believe this statement is true for most jobs, but especially for nursing; it's very hard to understand the magnitude of work they do in the run of a shift without actually experiencing it yourself. But trust me when I say this: it is not an easy job!

Without nurses our healthcare system would fall apart. We need them! So if you have a nurse in your life, let them know how much you appreciate and admire their work. They truly are the superheros of the healthcare world!