ECENTLY, Robin Gage, a registered nurse in our Emergency Department, stepped onto the elevator at the CHRISTUS St. Joseph’s South campus facility with a visitor and me. We were laughing with another nurse who was racing off to put out another “fire.” The visitor glanced at us with all sincerity and asked, “Does everyone here love their jobs so much that they are always laughing and smiling?”

She said she had considered working in health care at one time but realized it would be very stressful. She just didn’t understand how we could smile so much. At her own job, she said, laughter could rarely be heard.

We replied that, for the most part, CHRISTUS St. Joseph’s Associates love their jobs and that is why it shows in their demeanor. Sure, sometimes our laughter is a defense mechanism to keep us going during difficult and stressful times. But this experience proved, once again, that if we enjoy what we are doing, it shows on our faces and is truly noticed by the patients and families we serve each day.

Nancy Stallings, RN
employee health nurse
CHRISTUS St. Joseph’s Health System
Paris, Texas