It's been an extremely complicated time to be a bedside nurse. Disillusionment about the profession and reasons for it are real and in many cases, very legitimate. Like everyone, I continue to process through all that's going on with the system, the politics, the pay, the staffing issues, all of it. But for today, I … Continue reading Remembering the Moments that Drew Me Here
boundaries
Bringing the Voice of Grief into the Room
Because of the nature of events that precipitate grief, we often understandably believe that the voice of grief is one dimensional – dark and intensely oppressive, and therefore unwelcome in the room. There is no denying that it can feel this way in its sharpest moments. Even in its gentler moments, it’s still hugely uncomfortable. … Continue reading Bringing the Voice of Grief into the Room
Upcoming NPR TED Radio Hour Podcast: Exploring Grief as a Nurse
Just finished my interview with Manoush Zomorodi for an upcoming episode of NPR TED Radio Hour, where she and I talk about grief and how I have learned to navigate it over time as a pediatric ICU nurse. While certainly not lighthearted, I promise it’s not all doom and gloom. Rather it’s about walking through, and … Continue reading Upcoming NPR TED Radio Hour Podcast: Exploring Grief as a Nurse
Nurse, August 2021.
Nurse: Healer Helpless Comforter Discomforted Advocate Voiceless Giver Robbed Steadfast Unstable Respected Disrespected Invaluable Dispensable Resilient Exhausted Nurse.
Happify Caregiving Webinar Available for Viewing
My webinar for Happify on “How to Care for Yourself as a Caregiver” is now available for free viewing anytime. Caregivers do such incredible but hidden, lonely, undervalued work. It was a true privilege to provide this space to spotlight how invaluable they are and validate the many burdens and needs. Please share this with … Continue reading Happify Caregiving Webinar Available for Viewing
New Blog Post for AJN: How I Would Prepare my Daughter to Become a Nurse
My kids have been asking me surprisingly specific questions about my work as a nurse lately. I really enjoyed writing this blog post for American Journal of Nursing because God knows the two occupations that have consumed my days and thoughts this past year have been nursing and motherhood. And at the end of the … Continue reading New Blog Post for AJN: How I Would Prepare my Daughter to Become a Nurse
New Guest Post for AJN: Balancing Nurse and Home Life During the Holidays
My latest blog post for American Journal of Nursing is up. The contrasts between the nursing world and home life are often felt most acutely during the holidays, and moving between both worlds can be disorienting. "I feel at times as though I live in some other world that is not entirely my home nor … Continue reading New Guest Post for AJN: Balancing Nurse and Home Life During the Holidays
When an Over-responsible Caregiver Learns a Life Lesson from a 5 Year Old
I have in recent weeks come up against my limits at times of what I can give to others and accomplish in the course of a day, and it hasn’t always been a graceful acceptance of those limits. I have instead resented them, and then learned the harder way to heed them and their inherent … Continue reading When an Over-responsible Caregiver Learns a Life Lesson from a 5 Year Old
The Elusive Work-Life Balance: On Self-Compassion
On my morning drive to work, I shake off the cloud of drowsiness, and I debate whether to get caught up on the news – sadly nowadays, a too easy way to already burden myself before my 6:50AM arrival at the hospital – or enjoy the 40 minutes of silence before whatever will unfold, unfolds. I … Continue reading The Elusive Work-Life Balance: On Self-Compassion
The Messy Untangling: On Sorting Through the Hard Feelings after a Rough Shift
Today, I’m feeling it. The untangling after a particularly intense shift on all levels. I walked into a shift with a family whose child had taken a big turn for the worse and they had no guarantees that moving forward with certain procedures and therapies would turn things around for the better. We could only … Continue reading The Messy Untangling: On Sorting Through the Hard Feelings after a Rough Shift
The Heart of Nursing 