Finding Balance and Strength in Nursing: A Personal Journey
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By Danielle Leveck.
Nursing has always been a profession of resilience, intelligence, and heart. But as healthcare evolves, so do its challenges.
Over the years, I’ve seen drastic shifts in the profession—from the impact of burnout and staff shortages to the struggles of balancing motherhood with a demanding career. Through my journey as a nurse, nurse practitioner, and clinical nurse specialist, I’ve learned hard but valuable lessons about endurance, teamwork, and the need for systemic change.
I am sharing my experiences navigating burnout, balancing motherhood and career, and fostering stronger collaboration among healthcare professionals.
The Reality of Burnout: Why Nursing Is at a Breaking Point
Burnout isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a crisis in nursing.
I’ve lived it.
I spent years working in the cardiac surgery ICU, an environment where patients are critically ill and every decision is high-stakes. I thrived in that intensity, but over time, the mental and physical toll became undeniable.
Two major factors pushed me over the edge. First, becoming a mother reshaped my perspective on what I could reasonably handle. I managed after my first child, but with my second, the relentless schedule of nights, weekends, and holidays became overwhelming.
The second factor was the post-pandemic shift in healthcare staffing. The ICU I worked in saw nearly 75% of its nursing staff turn over. Suddenly, I wasn’t just doing my job—I was training an entirely new team, while still managing critically ill patients. It was exhausting.
Hospitals need to invest in proper staffing, training, and retention strategies. Experienced nurses are leaving bedside roles because the system makes it unsustainable to stay. If we want to stop the mass exodus from nursing, we need leadership to step up and create environments that support longevity in the profession.
Burnout isn’t just an individual issue—it’s a systemic one.
Healthcare institutions must prioritize sustainable work environments to retain experienced nurses.
Motherhood and Medicine: A Constant Tug-of-War
One of the hardest transitions in my career was becoming a mother while working in an unforgiving healthcare system. Before kids, I didn’t fully understand the challenges that working mothers face. I assumed I’d figure it out. But once I was in it, I realized how little flexibility and support existed.
What surprised me the most was the divide between colleagues with kids and those without. Even small accommodations—leaving a little early, requesting a specific weekend off—felt like massive asks. The judgment, the rigidity, the lack of understanding from leadership and coworkers made an already difficult situation worse.
I want younger nurses and physicians to know: it’s okay to pause.
You don’t have to achieve everything at once.
I used to believe I could juggle career growth and motherhood seamlessly, but I’ve learned that seasons of life require different focuses. Some phases will be career-driven, and others will be family-focused. And that’s okay.
We also need a culture shift. Many of the decision-makers in hospitals don’t face the same challenges we do. They have nannies, grandparents, or a stay-at-home spouse. They don’t always understand what it’s like to be the primary caregiver and a full-time clinician. Until leadership starts incorporating real-life perspectives into policy-making, the struggle will continue.
Women in healthcare need more support as they navigate motherhood. We can’t afford to lose talented professionals because the system refuses to adapt.
The ICU Culture: Thriving in a High-Stakes Environment
The cardiac surgery ICU is one of the most intense environments in medicine. You’re working with some of the sickest patients, dealing with life-or-death situations daily, and constantly making critical decisions.
It’s also an environment filled with big personalities—strong-willed physicians, assertive nurses, and ambitious advanced practice providers.
Cardiac surgery itself attracts high-achieving, type-A individuals. That intensity creates an incredible team when the dynamics are right. But it can also lead to tension and power struggles. I’ve seen it go both ways. When teams work well together, patient outcomes improve, and the work feels fulfilling. But when egos clash, it can become toxic.
I’ve learned that teamwork is everything. There’s no room for a “me versus them” mentality in the ICU. Whether you’re a physician, nurse practitioner, or bedside nurse, we all have the same goal—keeping our patients alive. It takes time to build trust, especially when new team members come in. But once that trust is established, the ICU becomes an incredibly powerful unit.
The best teams put egos aside and work toward a shared goal. Trust and mutual respect are the foundation of high-functioning ICUs.
The Nurse-Physician Divide: Why We Need to Do Better
One of the biggest sources of tension in healthcare is the blurred lines between roles—especially between physicians, nurse practitioners, and PAs. I’ve experienced this firsthand, and I know it’s a sensitive subject. But we need to talk about it.
Many doctors come out of training without much experience working with advanced practice providers. And many NPs enter the field with vastly different levels of training. Some of us, like myself, went through rigorous, reputable programs with extensive clinical experience. But others graduate from online, fast-track programs with minimal hands-on training. This discrepancy fuels mistrust.
From a physician’s perspective, I get it. They’ve put in over a decade of training. They want to ensure that patient care is at the highest level.
But from an NP’s perspective, we’re often the ones with the most hands-on experience in specialized settings like the ICU. That’s why the best teams take time to learn from each other instead of fighting for authority.
We also need to shut down predatory NP programs that churn out underqualified graduates. These programs harm both patient safety and the credibility of nurse practitioners who have trained rigorously. The American Nurses Association and other governing bodies need to hold these programs accountable.
The future of healthcare depends on strong collaboration between nurses, NPs, and physicians. We must advocate for higher training standards while also fostering mutual respect.
Looking Ahead: How We Can Create a Better Future in Healthcare
Healthcare is at a turning point. Burnout, staffing shortages, and systemic rigidity are pushing nurses and physicians out of the field. But we have an opportunity to reshape the profession for the better. In the next five years, I hope to see:
Hospitals investing in better nurse training and retention programs.
More flexibility for working mothers, including realistic scheduling accommodations.
Stronger collaboration between nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians to create high-functioning teams.
The elimination of low-quality NP programs that harm both patients and the profession.
Women in healthcare—whether we’re nurses, NPs, or physicians—share many of the same struggles.
The sooner we stop viewing each other as competition and start advocating together, the stronger we’ll be.
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