05/13/2026
In honor of the last day of Nurses Week 2026…
I want to say something that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Healthcare is hard right now.
And not just for patients.
For providers too.
There’s something deeply disheartening about dedicating years of your life to education, sacrifice, missed family time, overnight studying, clinical hours, and pouring your heart into caring for people… only to feel disposable when numbers on a spreadsheet change.
This week has been a reminder that support in healthcare often feels conditional. Providers are expected to carry impossible workloads, absorb emotional trauma daily, advocate endlessly, and somehow still smile through being undervalued.
I’m one year away from my doctorate, hold two master’s degrees, two post masters certificates, and have spent my career trying to build care models that actually listen to patients and families. But beyond titles and credentials, what hurts most is feeling like passion, loyalty, and dedication no longer matter in modern healthcare systems.
To every nurse, APRN, therapist, tech, aide, physician, and healthcare worker silently questioning their worth:
You are not replaceable.
Your compassion matters.
And the system being broken does not mean you are.
Sometimes closed doors redirect us toward the work we were actually meant to build. Remember that 🫶🏻