Back to work after a week off...What do you go to work for?

Just for money?
Just to socialize?
Or because you chose this caring profession because you care?
I love the people I work with and I AM the true nurse advocate... I hate the politics and knit-picking that so often make it a less caring and toxic environment...the ideologies (what most of my soap-boxes refer to) that just make it hard to do your job.
I love for my patients to feel better and feel secure in the care I provide. In addition, it brings me great joy to give excellent care and my main problem is that I get so frustrated by people who do not work to the same level. I LOVE being able to keep my patient alive and for as much time as possible safe from the four horsemen. It is a powerful feeling, this saving lives business.
And some days it is just making patients more comfortable.
Now, you can never change the fact that some patients may just never get comfortable or they may just be that personality that will never mesh with those providing their care, however, this is the time to just keep that professional smile in place and do your best.
The co-workers who do not measure up are also frustrating and they often make you wonder why they are there. If providing  great care is not the reason, what is? Giving great care means knowing WHY you are giving any care you provide. And being secure that it is the right direction for your patients. It also means keeping up, being organized and thorough, before you need to be. This saves lives and keeps your coworkers wanting to help you...
And lastly, it really helps to work in a place you look forward to going into. Knowing your managers and directors care about your well-being as well as the situations you work in being manageable, not just crunching and/or fudging numbers or providing new mandates that rarely make your job easier. As I have said before, it does not have to be Disney World (the happiest place on earth), but it does not need to be a hellish or toxic environment either.