I am overjoyed to finally be able to share this podcast episode with the world. Claire and Chris Sandys reached out to me all the way from England earlier this year to invite me to record a conversation with them, where we go in deep about my work as a pediatric ICU nurse. They are … Continue reading Podcast Episode about PICU Nursing with “The Silent Why” is Now Live!
New Blog Post for AJN: Primary Nursing of Medically Complex Children in the ICU Increases Parental Trust
I’ve been wanting to write about the experiences and struggles the healthcare community can face when we take care of medically complex kids who often have severe developmental disabilities. This blog post for American Journal of Nursing is finally that post, with a lot of vulnerable honesty. But the blessing here is that I am … Continue reading New Blog Post for AJN: Primary Nursing of Medically Complex Children in the ICU Increases Parental Trust
Grief as a Teacher
During my interview with Claire and Chris Sandys yesterday for The Silent Why Podcast about my experiences with loss and grief from the vantage point of a PICU nurse, they asked so many wonderfully insightful questions. Their questions were in fact so insightful and open-ended, I actually struggled more than I expected to answer them … Continue reading Grief as a Teacher
The Indescribable Value of Having Our Stories be Heard
I have two big events coming up that feel huge to me because at the core of them is the rare, underestimated, healing opportunity for our stories as nurses to be brought forth from the depths of where we tend to bury them, and be heard. Tomorrow, I’ll have the privilege of being interviewed for … Continue reading The Indescribable Value of Having Our Stories be Heard
Published piece in “Months to Years”: A Story of a Good Mom
Months to Years is a beautiful online literary journal, filled with pieces that courageously and tenderly address the issues of mortality and terminal illness. My piece, "A Story of a Good Mom," is now live in their current Summer 2022 issue. Working in pediatric ICU nursing as a mother myself to school-aged children, the parents' … Continue reading Published piece in “Months to Years”: A Story of a Good Mom
a goodbye poem, to the one we will never forget.
You came with a list of diagnoses that came with a list of stipulations that came with a list of medications that came with a list of how to give them for this stipulation or that one of the list of diagnoses. You came with a knack for Legos and a passion for online gaming … Continue reading a goodbye poem, to the one we will never forget.
A Mini Collection of Lighter Moments
By nature, a pediatric ICU sits heavy about 95% of the time. That's held true, and then some, for what's going on in our unit this week. But once in awhile, we can have fun too, and with the backdrop of such heaviness and grief, I cherish those light moments all the more. Here are … Continue reading A Mini Collection of Lighter Moments
An Unexpected Remedy for My Moral Distress
When Katherine first started bringing her very medically-complicated daughter into our pediatric ICU, we all marveled that her child had even survived the early months of infancy. All the odds were against them, but they were tough, this mom and daughter pair. I didn’t know what her pregnancy and birth journeys were like. Did she … Continue reading An Unexpected Remedy for My Moral Distress
New Blog Post for AJN: Loss from Nurse Attrition Goes Deeper Than Numbers
There's obvious stress that comes with the ongoing short staffing issues in nursing, but as I wrote this latest blog post for American Journal of Nursing, I realized my real ache in seeing colleagues leave, is something different and deeper. I support each colleague w all my heart, and yet my heart feels all the … Continue reading New Blog Post for AJN: Loss from Nurse Attrition Goes Deeper Than Numbers
Back to Basics on an Excruciatingly Complicated Day
I have so many questions and so few answers today. But the one question I think I can and should tackle is, How can I know and love my neighbor better today? Maybe it will help me build relationship and trust, for when hard times come upon them in the future. They could call on … Continue reading Back to Basics on an Excruciatingly Complicated Day
The Heart of Nursing 