Thanksgiving. It is a day where loved ones come together to enjoy a meal consisting of cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and lots of other delicious treats. There’s no school around this holiday, and most people get to take the weekend off from work. For nurses and other medical staff, however, viruses and injuries do not understand what holidays are. In fact, people often become injured in accidents during the holidays.
Sure, just about every nurse on the planet would like to spend Thanksgiving at home with the family. Unfortunately, some nurses must work Thanksgiving Day. The question is – what do you do if you end up working on Thanksgiving Day? How do find a way to continue being thankful for the day when you ache for time with your family? Fortunately, every other nurse on the planet understands this struggle, and there are methods of coping.
Celebrate on a Different Day
No one ever said you must celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. Your family knows and respects your career as a nurse. Take the time to discuss the possibility of planning your family Thanksgiving celebration on one of your days off. This allows you to have your pumpkin pie and eat it, too. It is common for families to celebrate on a day other than Thanksgiving.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with Co-Workers and Patients
Nurses are not the only individuals stuck inside of a hospital or clinic on Thanksgiving Day. Both your patients and your co-workers would rather spend time at home with their families on Thanksgiving. Why not find a way to bring a little Thanksgiving Day cheer to your patients, your co-workers, and even yourself?
For patients with little family members or family members living far away, something as simple as wishing them a happy Thanksgiving can make all the difference in the world. The same is very true of any co-workers who want to spend time with family.
If you have the time, conisder baking a special treat for the patients and staff.
Nurses Are Thankful for a Lot
If you find yourself struggling with the fact that you are at work while your family celebrates Thanksgiving without you, celebrate in your own way by listing everything you’re thankful for this year. This holiday is all about showing thanks, so don’t get discouraged.
Learning Experience
As a nurse, you learn something new daily. Between your patients and your co-workers, you run into tons of information. Medication and science continue to evolve, and you continue to learn new things as they do.
Emotional Venture
Nursing is often an emotional venture. You can experience both rewarding and devastating experiences within the same shift. It is those extreme emotions that make most nurses so thankful for the job. Sure, you may never see patients again after they leave, but a position as a nurse offers the opportunity to develop a truly beautiful bond with a stranger.
Teaching Experience
In addition to learning, you also get to teach as a nurse. Between co-workers, medical studies, and patients, there are tons of warm bodies waiting to learn something new from you. Many believe you do not completely master something until you can successfully teach it to someone else.
Nursing is not always rainbows and lollipops. But, if you really think about it, are there any jobs out there that are all good all the time? People become nurses because they are passionate about nursing. They become nurses because they enjoy everything nursing has to offer, good and bad. There is no reason why a nurse cannot work Thanksgiving Day and enjoy it, too.
If you still need more reasons to smile and enjoy Thanksgiving while you work, check out our article, “What are nurses thankful for?”
