By Holly M. Hovan MSN, RN-BC, APRN, CWOCN-AP
With National Nurses Week approaching, we will once again be seeing the work of Florence Nightingale highlighted, along with the concepts and values that have built the nursing profession. As we've heard many times, nursing is an art and a science. The basic foundations and concepts of nursing are built from evidence, books, and what we learn in school from our teachers, professors, and clinical instructors. The science behind nursing is important—there are formulas, math, research, memorizations, and concepts that must come from a book. However, there is also a huge piece of nursing that comes from our hearts. Nursing is caring, compassion, kindness, and wanting what is best for someone else. Nursing is wanting to help our patients and our peers. Being a nurse is a calling and a passion, and that piece can't always be learned... it starts in our hearts, and it shows in our practice.