Hi, I’m Mary. I’ve been a nurse since 2017. In my near decade of nursing I’ve moved between different units such as stroke and renal care, the OR, home hospice, med-surg, telemetry, and travel nursing. I currently work as a float nurse in the intermediate step-down units for a large hospital system in North Carolina. All my roles have taught me something different but they all taught me the same thing: this profession will take everything you’re willing to give it, and then ask for more.
Nursing culture asks us to be superhuman – to show up, save lives, smile, be grateful for the job, don’t complain, work the overtime, mentor the new nurses, deal with the understaffing, absorb the trauma, and somehow still have energy for your own family when you get home. And if you can’t? If you cry in your car or have panic attacks before your shifts or feel numb most days? Then something’s wrong with you, not with the fact that we’re asking one person to be a clinical expert, a therapist, a punching bag, and an emotional support system all at once.
I started this blog to talk about the nursing profession and the things about it that nobody wants to acknowledge – the gap between job description and reality, the burnout, compassion fatigue, and the impossible standards we are held to and what it takes to survive this profession without losing yourself. This blog is a space for real talk. No sugar-coating. No “nursing is a calling so you should just push through it” nonsense. Just honest conversations from someone who gets it because she’s living it too. So stick around. More posts are coming. There will be stories, sarcasm, and cussing. There may even be some practical stuff to help you survive this profession too.
Thanks for reading!
Mary, RN