People may think they know what nurses do. But this powerful documentary — sharing nurses' stories in their own words — reveals the emotional challenges they face daily in caring for their patients and celebrates nurses as the heroes they truly are.
Through these personal stories, we witness moments of doubt, faith, grief, joy, and fierce love. We see compassion and empathy, the grief that doesn’t disappear, and the catharsis that comes from being heard.
Partner with StoryCollab to host digital storytelling workshops that build more compassionate teams, and strengthen empathy, reflection, and workforce resilience.
Nursing is hard, important, and rewarding work. It's also one of the most stable careers in the country. Registered nurses earned a median of $93,600 in May 2024, with around 189,000 openings projected each year through 2034. Add a graduate degree, and that climbs to $132,050 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics).
At ETSU, College of Nursing students have the opportunity to learn and work within Tennessee’s largest public academic health sciences center, ETSU Health. With online and on-campus options, we offer pathways to meet your needs and goals.


The Nurse Narratives Initiative (NNI) supports nursing education and healthcare professionals by elevating empathy, resilience, and connection across the nursing profession.
At the heart of the initiative is the belief that listening to real stories—from both caregivers and patients—can transform healthcare culture and improve patient outcomes.
Through digital storytelling workshops, reflection sessions, and curricular innovation, NNI creates spaces where nurses, students, faculty, and patients can share lived experiences.
Amber walked into her shift with one patient—and no room for mistakes. A newborn, fragile and failing, with machines doing the work his body couldn’t.In moments like that, there’s no easing into the job. You either show up fully… or you don’t.
As a Filipino nurse transitioning to the US after years in Dubai, Hera faced cultural challenges. Despite her fears, she forms a deep connection with her first patient, providing compassionate care. When the patient's family made the difficult decision for comfort care, she offered a unique keepsake.
Eva learned early how to read a room before she even stepped into it.Nights were unpredictable. Fear was constant. And for a long time, survival was the only thing that mattered.Years later, standing in rooms where others are at their most vulnerable, she draws on those same instincts.
Kylie, an oncology nurse, has stood beside patients on some of the hardest days of their lives.Holding hands. Saying goodbye. Showing up when words aren’t enough.But long before she became a nurse, she experienced that moment from the other side.
As a young CNA, Holly faced a critical nurse who barked, “You think you can save the world?” This harsh judgment haunted her as she pursued a degree as a first-generation college student. Now a nursing instructor, she encounters a struggling student who mirrors her past.
In the quiet halls of a hospital, a profound connection forms between Keith, a Christian nurse, and his Muslim patient, facing a grim prognosis. Over days, they transcend cultural and religious divides, finding common ground in their shared faith in God.