The Power of Presence: How Nurses Transform Lives Every Day

Every day, nurses step into sacred moments that most people will only witness a handful of times in their lives — or perhaps never at all. At the heart of nursing is not just skill or science, but an extraordinary power: the power of presence.

Nurses are there for a person’s first breath on this earth, welcoming new life. They are also there for the last breath — the quiet, final moments that require strength, dignity, and compassion beyond words. Between those two bookends of life, nurses are unwavering companions through joy, loss, fear, and hope.

When a patient hears a life-changing diagnosis, it’s often a nurse who first interprets the shock in their eyes, offering a hand to hold, a tissue, a wordless moment of solidarity. When someone’s heart stops, it is the nurse who is first to respond, first to act, first to fight for life.

At the bedside, nurses seamlessly become counselors, spiritual advisors, teachers, coaches, and cheerleaders. They listen when patients need to vent frustrations that no one else understands. They pray silently beside a family member’s bedside. They encourage a first shaky step after surgery, and celebrate victories that may seem small, but are monumental for the person achieving them.

Nurses advocate fiercely — often quietly, but always persistently — for their patients' rights, dignity, and care. They speak up in chaotic situations, in policy meetings, and behind the scenes to make sure every patient receives the treatment they deserve.

These moments are not captured in headlines or awards ceremonies. They are stitched into the fabric of every hospital, clinic, and community. They are moments of presence — pure, selfless, and powerful.

As we celebrate National Nurses Week 2025, let’s honor the countless, unseen moments that define the nursing profession. Your presence matters. Your witness to the human experience — in all its messiness and magnificence — is what makes nursing one of the most powerful forces for healing in the world.

Share these powerful words with your students

In her book, New: Nursing and the Art of Being Human (2023), Tenley Force writes, "The nurse is not simply in the environment, the nurse is the environment." 

I encourage you to share Tenley’s words with your students as a powerful reminder of nurses’ impact. Nurses are the steady presence at the bedside — the ones who shape the patient experience through every interaction.

Often the first to respond, and sometimes the only ones who do, their presence carries immense power. It brings comfort, safety, and healing. Help students recognize that their presence is not just part of care — it is care.

Thank you for the lives you touch, the souls you comfort, and the hope you inspire — simply by being.

With gratitude,