I knew since I was a youngster that I wanted to become a nurse.
At the precocious age of 2 1/2, I received the most valuable Christmas gift ever: a mini nursing "kit" with a stethoscope and nursing cap. The photographs taken that holiday season show a toddler beaming with delight as she "assessed" dolls for illness, sustaining them as only a nurse would do.
My conviction that I would become a nurse never wavered, and years later, I achieved my goal, despite (or perhaps a result of) losing my father during my first semester in school.
Hardship did not sway my resolve; instead it fortified the strength of my convictions. Long before I knew what "moral courage" might be, I had it in spades. I just did not realize how important this type of resilience would be to the nursing process.
What is moral courage?
Moral courage is the integrity to do what is believed to be a choice of veracity, even in the face of adversity. It is stopping to assist the victim of a vehicular accident, knowing the delay will result in arriving late to work. It is pausing in the hallway to comfort a patient/visitor who is distraught, knowing that you are deferring a break for a colleague who is working overtime.
