The Spirit of Nursing is filled with stories from more than 40 authors who have been inspired by their choice of career. Collectively, they boast 1,091 years of practice, diverse certifications, and numerous degrees. Some have just begun their practice and others have worked as nurses for half a century or more. Read how we have earned the true credentials needed to provide care for strangers, family members, and each other. Learn how we have earned the academic and honorary titles required to lead each other in our profession. The stories we have collected here cover the moment each contributor knew he or she was to become a nurse, what was learned (and what was not) in nursing school, and unforgettable patients and colleagues. But this book is about more than the sum of all of the parts that make up our nursing trajectories. It is about the process of becoming and being a nursing colleague. Filled with professionals who have earned their distinction as leaders in practice and healers in their communities, it is rumination on what it means to care. It is also a thank you to a line of work that has given us so much.