Nursing Voices
Verbatims from the Men in Nursing Survey
From October to December of 2004, Hodes conducted a survey of men in nursing, aimed at uncovering the reasons why so few men choose nursing as a career. Read more about this survey and get the results
The following inspirational and candid quotes are taken from the verbatim comments section of this important survey.
“Nursing is much more than just holding someone's hand. It is mathematics, no less than construction. It is science, no less than a chemist. It is task management, no less than a CEO. It is research, no less than a detective. It is hard work, no less than manual labor. It is giving, caring and guidance, no less than any advisor. It is multi-tasking, no less than a foreman. It is nurturing strengths and working with the weaknesses, no less than a chaplain. It is helping others be all they can be, just like the ad for the Army. It is accepting that women have strengths, as well as nurturing skills. It is accepting that men have compassion, as well as caring skills.”
“Save one life, and you're a hero. Save hundreds, and you're a nurse.”
“Nursing is a very rewarding career, a lot of hard work, but very rewarding; to make a difference in someone's life gives you a warm glow inside that hardly any other career could do.”
“There is nothing in life more satisfying than to go home in the morning and be able to look yourself in the mirror and know that someone is still alive because of something that you did, or knowing that you touched a life during your tour. There are really no other professions that touch lives like nurses. I have assisted with bringing new life into this world, and I have also held the hand of the dying--a caring nurse touches the very soul of mankind. Yes, the president of a multi-million dollar company may make more money, and carry a bit more prestige (in his mind), but what does he see in the mirror in the morning?”
“The ability to help people, to save lives, to fly in the Medivac, to work trauma. The difference that you make on a daily basis. Nurses make more of a difference in a single shift than most people do in a lifetime”.
“There is nothing more rewarding than when a patient or a family member says thank you for the wonderful care you have given.”
“Real people doing real things at a moment's notice that affect people for a lifetime.”
“What do you do for a living? Push papers, sell things and watch the clock? WE get to know people personally, get to care for people firsthand and save lives.”
“I like healing--I like seeing people in a more humble state. You can almost see their souls.”
“When people ask me if I'm the doctor, I reply, “No, even better, I'm your NURSE!”
“Most rewarding thing I have ever done next to being a parent.”
“I couldn't imagine doing anything else now that I have experienced nursing.
“This is my calling in life--if I were anywhere else I know I would be unfulfilled and unhappy.”
“I get what others search endlessly for--personal validation and human affirmation.”
"I didn't choose nursing, it chose me. It has been a challenge; every day it is a challenge. I know I am where I am supposed to be right now in my life.”
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