Key Takeaways
When you work in nursing, you have the chance to make a difference in people’s lives every single day.
Nurses serve on the front lines of healthcare and play key roles in improving patients’ health outcomes.
Nurses provide clinical care, advocate for patients, and provide vital emotional support to patients and their families.
Unlike professionals in many other fields, nurses have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives every single day. Nurses are often described as the foundation of the nation’s healthcare system, and they help patients during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. The clinical care and support that nurses offer to patients is essential in helping them improve their health and navigate the healthcare system safely.
Nurses make a difference in patients’ lives in many different ways, and enrolling in a nursing school program is the first step on the path toward a meaningful career as a nurse.
Why Are Nurses Important in Healthcare?
The World Health Organization has reported that the largest occupational group in worldwide healthcare is the nursing workforce. American Nurse Journal explains that the more than 5 million nurses who care for patients across the U.S. play a vital role in healthcare because they:
Provide an extensive range of preventive, therapeutic, and end-of-life care
Oversee patients’ care and stand ready to intervene when necessary to preserve patients’ health
Assess patients’ symptoms and offer crucial treatments to help them manage those symptoms
Ensure that patients receive care in a safe environment
Establish caring and trusting relationships with patients, as well as their families
Collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals to ensure that patients receive the healthcare services they need
Help patients navigate transitions across healthcare settings
The National Academy of Medicine has recognized nurses’ significant contributions to healthcare, noting that nurses:
Typically serve on the front lines of healthcare
Often play key roles as healthcare executives
Strengthen the overall performance of the healthcare system
Play a pivotal role in reducing the cost of healthcare
Proof of the importance of nurses today is how much people trust them. A 2026 Gallup survey found that nurses were ranked the highest among 21 types of professionals for honesty and ethical standards. And nurses have ranked highest in that survey for more than 20 years.
How Nurses Make a Difference
How do nurses make a difference in people’s lives? The responsibilities they carry out enable nurses to make a difference in several ways, as the examples below highlight.
Nurses Translate and Educate
When a doctor arrives to explain a patient’s diagnosis and treatment choices, the patient may not understand everything about his or her condition. Nurses play a crucial role in demystifying medical jargon and making patients feel more comfortable asking questions.
Nurses also provide important patient education by talking patients through taking medications and how to manage their illness or condition.
Nurses Advocate for Their Patients
Part of a nurse’s job is to advocate for their patients, per the American Nurses Association code of ethics. Good nurses are committed to providing respectful care that considers a patient’s cultural beliefs and wishes. They also know when to advocate for a patient’s needs, whether that requires calling for the doctor or explaining the patient’s rights to family members.
Nurses Provide Emotional Support
When patients are diagnosed with a debilitating disease such as cancer, nurses provide emotional support as the patients process new, scary information and learn about what their options are. Good nurses know how to be there for their patients.
Nurses Communicate on Patients’ Behalf
When patients are discharged to go home or to an interim care facility, nurses play an important role communicating with case managers, social workers, or family members about what the patients will need in the next phase of their care.
To convalesce properly, patients need someone to understand what they need for home care or other kinds of assistance. Nurses can offer that information using understandable language.
Nurses Humanize Healthcare
Going to the hospital can be scary, especially for a sudden health emergency, and nurses are the first people whom patients see. A good nurse knows how to put a patient at ease, explain how procedures will go, and help patients settle their fear and anxiety.
Nurses Follow Evidence-Based Practice
Nurses make a difference because the healthcare services they provide to patients are based on the best evidence, research, and clinical expertise available. Adhering to evidence-based nursing practice helps nurses ensure that they offer quality healthcare services that can improve patients’ health outcomes.
Nurses Never Stop Learning
As lifelong learners, nurses stay up to date on new developments in nursing practice and pursue continuing education to stay abreast of new healthcare services and treatments. Patients are the prime beneficiaries when nurses fulfill their obligations to continue learning and make a commitment to excel in their profession.
Making a Difference as a Nurse Starts With Getting a Solid Nursing Education
Nurses make a difference in their patients’ lives in countless ways. If you are interested in joining the ranks of nurses who get the opportunity to help patients every day, explore the nursing school programs that Fortis offers to learn how one of these programs can help you reach your career goals. The Practical Nursing and Associate Degree in Nursing programs offer classroom and hands-on training that prepares students for careers with purpose.
Learn more about how Fortis can help you gain the skills and expertise you need to fulfill your dream of pursuing a career where you can help others.
Recommended Readings
Nursing as a Second Career
What Are the Different Types of Nurses?
Why Is Nursing the Most Trusted Profession?
