In May, the nation came together to honor the nation’s hard-working nursing professionals with Nurses Week and Hospital Week 2020, two annual events designed to give nurses a larger share of the recognition and love they deserve.
But those events have wrapped up and the year rolls on, with COVID-19 infections continuing to increase. As a nurse, you understand that the work is far from over. So we want you to know that, every month, week and day of the year, you are appreciated.
And that isn’t just us talking, either. To help provide some inspiration during the trials and tribulations of COVID-19, we’ve compiled a few of our favorite motivational quotes for nurses — words that offer confirmation of the important work you do, and how much you’re loved by people from all walks of life.
‘America’s Nurses are The Beating Heart of Our Medical System’
“As a father, as a husband, I will forever be in debt to the women and men” of the nursing profession, then-President Barack Obama told the American Nursing Association (ANA) back in 2010. “And I know that millions of others feel the same way. America’s nurses are the beating heart of our medical system. You’re on the front lines.”
Though spoken 10 years ago, this particular motivational quote for nurses rings particularly true today, with so many nurses working in conditions not unlike the front lines of a war zone. And it was during such conditions that Florence Nightingale laid the foundations and voiced the philosophies that would be developed into the methods and morals of modern nursing.
“Florence Nightingale continues to serve as a symbol of the power of nursing and demonstrates nurses’ critical role in global healthcare,” writes Patricia Jakel, RN, MN, AOCN at OncLIve.
“Nurses are in unique positions to make a difference every day locally, nationally, and globally for patients, the profession, and individually,” Jakel continues. “Everyone has the opportunity to do something that strengthens nurses in 2020 — do it now. How lucky we are. Be like Florence — make a difference in nursing.”
Nightingale is honored in many ways throughout the nursing and medical professions. International Nurses Day is held on her birthday, and 2020, which would have marked her 200th birthday, has been designated the Year of the Nurse in her honor. Perhaps needless to say, the Year of the Nurse has taken on a new dimension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s so inspiring to see nurses and healthcare team has taken the challenges and risen to the challenge to care for our community in new ways,” Goshen Health Director of Education and Practice Erica Prough, who started her career as a labor & delivery nurse, told Indiana’s WNDU-TV.
“Even with this going on, it does solidify this is what I’m called to do to help others no matter the circumstances,” added Prough’s daughter Courtney Brickner, who’s also a labor & delivery nurse working on the COVID-19 front lines. “As nurses, we all feel that. We’re called to help no matter what happens.”
“We go into uncertain situations every day and continue to do our jobs,” Brittany Uglesich, a nurse working in the UCLA Medical Center’s medical telemetry unit, told UCLA Health. “The bravery of nursing is amazing.”
Providing ‘Care With Compassion, Skill and Dignity’
On top of the serious challenge it represents to working nursing professionals, the COVID-19 pandemic is also giving new nurses graduating in 2020 a confusing start to their careers.
“It’s definitely a strange way to enter the field,” undergraduate nursing student Aisha Diallo told Boston’s WBUR news. “But also I feel like … I’ve been preparing for this for the last four years, that anything can happen. Going into health care, you have to be ready on your feet and take what comes at you.”
That can-do attitude is common enough among nurses, but it’s not always easy to keep it going in the face of the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. So it’s of little surprise that so many leaders in the field are helping nurture a feeling of community among nurses on the front lines.
“Our nurses continue to care with compassion, skill and dignity,” MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center CNO Cindy Penney told the Des Moines Register. “The fact that they come to work each day to provide nursing care to those in need hasn’t changed, but the circumstances they provide that care in have changed significantly.
“Many have volunteered to be part of the core team that cares for COVID-19 patients,” Penney added. “I’m so proud of how our nurses have come together as one to support all patients, their families, and each other during this crisis.”
‘Thank You for Taking Care of All of Us’
Finally, if you’re really in need of some kind words to help get you through this difficult time, the best place to find them is this article at Nurse.org. Featuring hundreds of messages of love and support from folks around the world, the compilation is offered as “proof that the world loves nurses, today, and always.”
“Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for the work you do every day,” one message states. “We will only get through this because of you. Know that we all are behind you, supporting you and cheering you on. … We want YOU safe and healthy. Thank you for your selfless giving. Thank you for caring so much. Thank you for taking care of all of us.”
We can’t say it any better than that. So, let’s wrap up our collection of motivational quotes for nurses by echoing those words of gratitude to each of you, the RNs, LPNs, LVNs, CNAs, NPs, nursing aides and every other nursing professional putting your safety at risk to care for others in need. We know that kind of compassion and dedication is built into your DNA, and we’re so very grateful for it.
COVID-19 Resources from CareerStaff
If you’re interested in helping fight COVID-19 on the front lines, you can trust CareerStaff Unlimited to connect you with a facility that’s in need of a skilled professional like you.
And rest assured, we take care of our nurses. That includes making sure you have the PPE you need to safely deliver care, along with competitive pay and amazing benefits (read about them here). It also means following strict policies to prevent infection and offering 14-day quarantine reimbursement. You can read more about the benefits of working a CareerStaff travel assignment here, or find an assignment now.