Why Nursing is the World’s Most Trusted Profession – Year after Year after Year

Almost every one of the heartbreaking stories represented by the 700,000 white flags (we are now at 885,000 and counting) in Suzanne Firstenberg’s soul-touching art exhibition In America: Remember had this one thing in common. 
Whatever their ages, ethnic backgrounds, or political affiliations; whatever part of the country they happened to live in; whatever their opinions about vaccinations, and whether or not they themselves were vaccinated, they each had this one shared experience.

Before they died, they were cared for by a nurse. In many cases, at the very moment they died they were in the care of a nurse. And after their deaths, their families were comforted by a nurse.

It did not matter what their nurses’ ages, ethnic backgrounds, or political affiliations were. It did not matter what region their nurses were from or where they went to nursing school. It did not matter what those nurses’ personal opinions were about people who got sick after choosing to not be vaccinated. Every nurse gave each patient the same care and compassion.

If you want to know why year after year after year nursing is rated as the world’s most trusted profession, you don’t have to look any farther than this.

Next week it will be my privilege to give the opening keynote for the annual conference of the Association of California Nurse Leaders (ACNL). We’ll also be asking people to share their own Stay Strong For Us stories (www.StayStrongForUs.com). I hope these nurse leaders will be inspired by what I have to say. I know I will be inspired by their stories.

If you have a chance to thank a nurse for being there for us during the pandemic, please do it. I plan on thanking 500 nurse leaders next week in California.