I'm gonna be fully transparent here....Nurses who express themselves with "foul language" are my people! We get each other. A well positioned "what the fuck" as you pass your work bestie in the hall, before plastering on a smile and continue to care for your patient, speaks volumes. That shift-bestie now knows the status of your current mental health condition, and 9 times out of 10 they will unpack that with you later. #mypeople
Mental Health addressed directly and in real-time in the workplace is typically taboo. "I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fucking fine". Right?? Fuck No!

Nurses... we keep it real, because our whole lives depend on it. Taking home the WTF's to your family or friends is not only appalling (who could bear to hear about an anal poop-tube dislodging #nurseshit), but also, at times, seemingly harsh or uncaring (particularly the last year where standing in as next-of-kin was a job requirement). These "extraordinary frustrations" are best received, appreciated and therapeutically addressed by "extraordinary people"- fellow nurses.
And Thank-F-ing God we show up for each other, Nurses empower each other to continue to show up day after day, after never-ending day. WE SEE EACHOTHER, and that recognition, along with the therapeutic "talk therapy", helps us to continue to do the seemingly impossible over and over and over!
I've had some EPIC crews & work-besties, so I can only speculate that if we didn't show up for each other, we might eventually find our work-wife unexplainably lost or anxious, depressed, and even possibly suicidal. Ultimately, if we didn't continue to care for and empower each other, there will be NO ONE LEFT to work the 12hr shifts without meals, mandatory OT, and limited bathroom breaks. For real...this is not exaggerated, ask any Nurse!
Many people think that Nurses are innately the most caring, trusted humans on the planet, and don't get me wrong, WE ARE! But please know, what keeps us coming back to the bedside, to the "most trusted profession" is OUR COLLEAGUES! Not the pay (that's a distant second), not the prestige ("We honor Healthcare heroes here"-no you fucking don't- how about adequate staffing and some bonus pay), and NOT management (my local hospital locked the nurses out after they picketed for unsafe working conditions, during Covid, who does that??).
So, I'm not stupid, and I know that some will say, "if it's so bad, find a new job" and that's what I did.
I left the Nursing bedside 2018 for a new opportunity, one that required knowledgeable medically-trained professionals, but I was immediately aware that my WTF-support system was missing. I struggled mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I needed to debrief, but instead I was gowning and gloving and crying....alone. I thought it was the job. I worked around nurses, but I was clearly without a crew/bestie. It hit me, it was the nurse-collective I was desperate for....I NEEDED MY TRIBE BACK!
And this is why I came crawling back to Nursing. (see previous blog post for deets)
NURSES EMPOWER NURSES.
Period.
So, here's my pledge to you....
My Nurse Tribe
I am dedicated to our personal & professional development, growth and empowerment.
I recognize our strengths as leaders, change agents, and the future of healthcare.
I STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR TRIBE. THE WORLD NEEDS US.
MY MISSION
Care for the Nurse, change the Healthcare System.
Develop a healthcare system focused on HEALTH PROMOTION and HOLISTIC WELLNESS. We need healthcare professionals who engage in healthy lifestyles themselves, so they can model health and wellness at work, at home,
and in the community.
All that said, I WILL continue to show up for my fellows, in a new way, with a few more initials behind my name. Dawn Jones, RN BSN NC-(BC Board Certification pending)
To close in perfect form-
I am so fucking hopeful and DAMN, it's good to be HOME!!!!
LFG (Let's Fucking GROW, if you didn't already know)-
Dawn
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