Nursing is rewarding but stressful, and I think we can all agree with that statement no matter where we are in our nursing careers. I always find myself describing nursing as a “love-hate relationship” to family members who are curious about how I’m handling my career as a nurse. My response to them is almost always the same: “I love it, but I have my good days and I have my bad days.” There is always so much to process, especially after how much happens and changes in just one shift. I feel like my mind is moving at a million miles a minute when I am in full-on nurse mode, and there is no chance to slow down until I get in my car and close my eyes for a bit before a quiet and pensive drive home. 

After coming home from an exhausting shift as a psychiatric nurse, I cannot help but lounge on the couch and scroll through social media on my phone as I try to process everything I encountered during my shift. The majority of the social media posts I sift through are by nurse influencers. I have always been in awe of the impact that nurse influencers have on myself and my peers. As we wade through nursing school, we transition from timid clinical students to confident nurses, and then potentially nurse influencers. We learn how to care for the sickest patients, how to manage time, and especially how to communicate. We learn how to interact with patients, families, providers, and other fellow nurses. We look to other nurses when we need support, and often turn to the world of social media, especially when we have Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat all at our fingertips. 

Nurse influencers hold many roles and are an integral part of the nursing community. They offer advice and tips on how to flourish professionally as a healthcare worker, but also help us to understand how to balance work and life. One of my absolute favorite accounts to follow on Instagram is @wholelifenurse. I can always count on Kelsey Rowell, RN, to remind me how to take care of my mental health and wellbeing as a nurse, so that I can stay happy in my career and prevent nursing fatigue and burn out. Nursing as a profession can be all- consuming at times, and we often need help knowing that it is okay to take a step back. Nurse influencers like Kelsey help us to have a better grasp on how to further our nursing careers into avenues we may not have known about before. For instance, they shed light on the many types of nursing positions that exist outside of the hospital, such as community nurses and aesthetic/cosmetic nurses, to name just a couple. I cannot even begin to count all of the times that I have felt inferior to nurses working in a hospital, and all the times that I have not felt like “a real nurse” just because I work in an outpatient setting. Kelsey’s account never fails to remind me that I am not wasting my degree or being any less of a nurse by working in an outpatient or “non-traditional” role. 

Nurse influencers can help us better market ourselves as professionals and students ready to take on the world of nursing. Workshops to improve resumes, cover letters, and interviewing skills help prepare us to take those next steps in our careers. Amanda, @theresumerx, is always my go-to Instagram account for when I need to spruce up my resume or cover letter, in order to shine as the nurse I know I am. You can also find templates and courses aimed at helping nurses and nurse practitioners to land their dream jobs. Not to mention, nurse influencers recommend great products geared towards nurses (such as beloved pens we cannot stand losing during a shift or scrubs that could practically be slept in). It all comes down to nurses helping other nurses truly become their best selves, what we all envision once we finish that last day of nursing school. 

Becoming a nurse influencer is an amazing way to connect with other nurses around the world. Social media has been of paramount importance in building a community of nurses looking to give and receive support, exchange ideas, or hoping to take their nursing careers to the next level. Nurse influencers help us realize that the world of nursing is truly limitless. Most importantly, nurse influencers let us know that we are not alone. Nursing as a profession can sometimes become lonely and difficult, as many nurses have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. I love that after a difficult day of work when I am feeling run down, I can listen to my favorite nurse influencers and relate to their own experiences (both in nursing and life in general). Katie Duke, @thekatieduke, is my absolute idol on Instagram for all things nursing-related and also outside of the nursing world. Her mouthwatering recipes, views on travel, and tips on self-care and beauty are just a few reasons she is one of my favorite influencers to follow. Nurse influencers help us feel supported in our beliefs and motivations, but also challenge us to view situations from multiple perspectives.

Nursing has grown as a profession throughout the years, and the social media presence of nurses is expanding fast. Nurse voices are powerful and influential, especially as nursing permeates all walks of life. I believe that no matter how long you have been a nurse and regardless of what specialty of nursing you work in, you have a voice and a story that is worthy of being shared with the nursing community and the rest of the world. 

Rima Parikh is a psychiatric RN and a current MSN-FNP student at Simmons University. She is passionate about public health and community outreach, and hopes to be a mentor to other young nurses and nursing students.