Rekindling a Passion for Nursing.

ABSTRACT

Daily, I see another story about a nurse who has decided to leave the profession. The constant stress of caring for desperately ill COVID-19 patients, staffing issues, and other challenges have combined to push nurses out of our profession at an alarming rate. What we don't hear about are stories of nurses who leave the profession temporarily and then opt to return. I recently read an editorial written by a nurse who resigned at the height of the COVID pandemic. After a year off, she realized how much being a nurse was a part of her identity and she returned to bedside care. Her story is my story, too. Reading it inspired me to depart from the usual format of the Magnet® Perspectives column to share my nursing story in hopes it will inspire others.