Registered Nurse

RN, Healthcare, Registered Nurse, LPN, Nursing

In This Guide:

Being a nurse is a highly rewarding, yet demanding, job and not everybody understands how difficult it really is. It can include a great deal of emotional stress as nurses comfort and care for their patients, and can sometimes take a toll that is difficult for others to appreciate. Read on to learn how nurses might feel about their occupation, and to find the right words so you can be supportive and understanding. This way, the nurse in your life will receive the encouragement he/she needs in order to do his/her job effectively.

They Might Be Thinking:

Working with some doctors can be very difficult.
Working with other healthcare team members is challenging due to competing priorities.
I am not paid enough to deal with the stress and anxiety of being a nurse.
Sometimes I don't feel appreciated by the doctors for the work I do.
Sometimes I don't feel appreciated by the patients I serve.
Sometimes I don’t feel appreciated by my leadership.
Sometimes I don’t feel appreciated by my coworkers.
My unit is understaffed and overworked.
I am on my feet all day long.
I work really hard to serve and heal my patients.
I am mentally exhausted from caregiving every day.
I don't feel very supported by the hospital administrators.
Executive leadership has no idea what I do on a daily basis.
I feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork required to do my job.
I feel overwhelmed by the amount of technology I have to use and understand.
I don't have enough time to spend providing my patients with empathetic care.
I don’t have enough time to provide the appropriate education to my patients and families.
Upper management does not know what nurses do every day.
After a long day at work, I don't have the energy to be empathetic with my own family.
I feel conflicted about the amount of time I spend at work versus with my family.
My family doesn’t understand the calling I have received to be a nurse.

Words That Might Be Encouraging:

I believe in your mission as a nurse and caregiver.
You are a very caring person and I am sure your patients appreciate your empathy and expertise.
As your leader and colleague, I appreciate your clinical knowledge and expertise.
You are changing lives every time you take care of someone.
Patients and families depend on you and are lucky to have you to care for them.
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do something that I can do." Helen Keller
"May all the care and kindness you have given to others as a nurse come back to you a hundredfold." - Anonymous
Nursing is one of the few jobs that changes lives every day.
Nursing is the top trusted profession and has been for the past 15 years.
Nursing is the one healthcare professional who is with the patient consistently.
I am happy to make things easier for you at home if that helps you relax at the end of your shift.
I am sure a lot of people depend on you to brighten their day.
I am proud of what you do for others.
You give 100% of yourself to your patients and this shows great dedication and commitment.
You are a great role model for your peers.
I appreciate your leadership in the unit.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
You are a valuable member of the medical team. Without your service, things would not run smoothly.
The best nurses have humanity and love in their heart. That's how I would describe you at work and at home.
Nurses play a critical role in making sure patients can rest and recover.
Nurses are the heartbeat of any medical team.
Patients appreciate that you are there 24/7 for them and for their families.
I appreciate that you put your patients first.
"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Words That Might Be Discouraging:

You shouldn’t worry about spending less time with patients.
The patient’s family should be assisting with the care of the patient so you don’t have to.
Less time with patients is the way of the future.
There are other team members who can help with educating patients.
You care too much about your patients.
Patients and families ask too much of you and you need to set boundaries.
You should just focus on getting your job done, instead of spending so much time with patients.
Just go to work, clock in, do the minimum, clock out, and go home.
You complain too much when asked to do something.
I am not sure why anyone wants to be a nurse. I could never do that job.
Nurses are just doctor’s helpers.
Nursing seems to be a thankless job.
Can you make any real money as a nurse?
You don't really need to have a caring heart to be a great nurse.
So why didn't you become a doctor?
Anybody can be a nurse.
There is a nursing shortage, so getting a nursing job is probably pretty easy.