Month: May 2017

In honor of National Nurses Week, what better way to celebrate than to honor what defines a nurse? Florence Nightingale described nursing as “no man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this – ‘devoted and obedient.’ This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman.”

While the struggle is still real, nurses have since earned their rightful place among medical professionals. Fast forward to modern nursing where the American Nursing Association defines nursing as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.

Through the years, the definition of a nurse has evolved, but there are a few key characteristics that remain constant…..

The Definition of a Nurse

We are nurses. We witness joy and sorrow and amid what is all in a day’s work, we thrive in the service of others. It fulfills us. Nursing teaches us how to be better human beings. In a world where selflessness has become a sign of weakness, it is now more than ever that we need to step up and model the art of compassion.

Thriving in the Service of Others