Here's a newsflash ... working in healthcare is tough work! Everybody out there, raise your hand if you already knew this. That's what I thought. Anybody who's been in healthcare for more than five minutes has already learned this simple, yet seemingly difficult, lesson.

Despite the challenges, the passion for the nursing profession is energizing! I love to ask nurses why they decided on this career path. I've seen eyes light up, and the energy and passion embedded within the answers is amazing. Every nurse loves to tell the story of why they became a nurse. The common theme is a passion for caring.

Look within yourself

But I've seen that passion waning, hallmarked by some nurses' attitudes. This was hammered home when my father was hospitalized recently. He experienced a few potentially serious misadventures that prompted him—and he never complains—to tell me that the nursing staff was mean and he was not comfortable under their care. It couldn't really be that bad, I reasoned. Wrong! When I asked a few benign questions of his nurse, she responded with a series of excuses and a contemptuous demeanor. Silly me, I was expecting a compassionate, informed reply. For the first time in my life, I found it necessary to advocate for my father. I made a formal complaint personally to the hospital's chief nurse, and delivered an impassioned plea that the negative behaviors were unfavorably impacting his care. The need to do this was like driving a knife straight through my heart.

For some of us, the crispness of passion has changed to unattractive cynicism. We bemoan our low job satisfaction and search for the cause, convinced that it rests outside ourselves. But we should look within. Our attitude determines how we respond when providing bedside care. It is our individual choice whether our attitude drives us toward constructive or destructive performance.

Take the high road

Complaining and the blame game waste time and energy—and drive us in the wrong direction. We're a bright and intelligent group of professionals, more than capable of taking the high road to a stronger future. We must acknowledge positively the challenges we face, and move forward constructively to achieve breakthrough results. In turn, we'll regain the passion we all had—at least once—for the nursing profession.

So I'll ask you once again. Where will your attitude take you today?

JAMES F. VERONESI is a member of the RN editorial board and director of leadership development at The Advisory Board Company in Washington, DC.