Ever since I had my first of two children almost nine years ago, I switched from full-time (three 12-hour shifts per week) to part-time (two 12-hour shifts per week). With my husband working four 10-hour days per week, this arrangement has allowed our family the incredible privilege of not needing childcare outside of the family. … Continue reading Finding Effective Means of Rest as a Nurse and Mother
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Uncommon Career Advice for People Going into Healthcare
A couple of friends who operate a local fast-food restaurant recently invited me to spend time with a few of their young staff members via Zoom to offer perspective and advice on “How to Prepare for a Career in Healthcare.” Recognizing that the majority of their staff will likely move on to other career pursuits … Continue reading Uncommon Career Advice for People Going into Healthcare
Where is God in the PICU: Cases of Injustice
A couple of months ago, we had a cluster of patients come through our pediatric ICU with extraordinarily heavy stories of injustice. One child had been severely abused for months by a caretaker in the hiddenness of the caretaker’s home. Another child had been shot by a stranger and was left mentally intact but physically … Continue reading Where is God in the PICU: Cases of Injustice
Stewarding Power as a Nurse
I am in a position of power as a pediatric ICU nurse. I can hold a wriggly patient down, poke him with needles, insert tubes into her nose. I can give or withhold food to a hungry child per a doctor’s orders. I can abruptly wake my patient from much-needed sleep at any time, day … Continue reading Stewarding Power as a Nurse
Can Grieving Loss of Idealism in Nursing Give Room for New Hope?
It is no secret by now that the pandemic has dealt blows to morale in nurses like never before. The issues are being voiced everywhere - nurses find themselves overworked, understaffed, underpaid, disrespected by both the healthcare system and many in the general public in sometimes deeply startling ways. As professionals who come to work … Continue reading Can Grieving Loss of Idealism in Nursing Give Room for New Hope?
A PICU Nurse’s Gratitude for Frontline School Nurses
I’ve been a PICU nurse for just over 11 years and I became a mom three years into my nursing career. Now a mom of two elementary-aged girls, I went part-time as a nurse after my first child was born and have been fortunate enough to maintain a fixed work schedule since then, thanks to … Continue reading A PICU Nurse’s Gratitude for Frontline School Nurses
New Blog Post for AJN: The Gift of Feedback
My latest blog post for American Journal of Nursing is up, titled "The Gift of Feedback." I take a look at a couple experiences where I asked for - and was asked for - feedback in the most gracious ways, and yet still struggled to find open, smooth venues of communication. It takes ongoing practice, … Continue reading New Blog Post for AJN: The Gift of Feedback
Shamelessly Acknowledging Our Weight Limit as Healthcare Workers
We’ve spent some time thinking through what it can look like to hold space for rhythms of professional grief. While my specific rhythms will certainly be different than yours, I hope you’ve been encouraged to consider the validity of your professional grief and that you’ve taken time to consider where and how it shows up … Continue reading Shamelessly Acknowledging Our Weight Limit as Healthcare Workers
Holding Space for Rhythms of Professional Grief: Part 2 of 2
In my last blog post, I shared my short-term response to the common questions I get as a pediatric ICU nurse, “How do you deal with all the sad things you encounter at work? How do you separate your personal life from your work life? How do you stay in that environment and not completely … Continue reading Holding Space for Rhythms of Professional Grief: Part 2 of 2
Holding Space for Rhythms of Professional Grief: Part 1 of 2
From time to time, people will ask me how I deal with the saddest, hardest patient cases I encounter as a pediatric ICU nurse. Related questions also take the form of, “How do you separate your personal life from your work life?” or “How do you keep working in an environment with so much suffering … Continue reading Holding Space for Rhythms of Professional Grief: Part 1 of 2
The Heart of Nursing 