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
nursing
What’s in a Name
I shared this story on my personal blog after my Narrative Ethics class in my Narrative Medicine program prompted me to think upon the story of my name again. I find it so pertinent to the times we live in, attempts to build connections with our patients and the real barriers we can face with … Continue reading What’s in a Name
Remembering the Moments that Drew Me Here
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
NPR TED Radio Hour Podcast Episode
My NPR TED Radio Hour podcast episode has dropped! In this podcast, Manoush explores a few TEDTalks connected to the topic of Heartache. Starting at 27:00, my interview with her explores some of my bittersweet experiences as a nurse and the hard-wrought lessons grief has brought about over the years in this profession. I can … Continue reading NPR TED Radio Hour Podcast Episode
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
Grief and the Good and Hopeful Life
In my last blog post, I took a birds-eye view with some thoughts on why we don’t know what to do with grief. I’m not trying to talk us out of grief by rationalizing. It only makes sense that we don’t readily know what to do with grief. It can hurt like hell. Its existence … Continue reading Grief and the Good and Hopeful Life
Why We Don’t Know What to do With Grief
In my recent interview for an upcoming NPR TED Radio Hour podcast (10/1) on “Heartbreak,” the host, Manoush Zomorodi, asked a series of insightful questions from many angles about my experiences with grief over the years as a pediatric ICU nurse. Those questions have sparked many thoughts that I believe are worth exploring and sharing … Continue reading Why We Don’t Know What to do With Grief
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.
A Plea for Help in Making Nursing Sustainable
My hairdresser made a comment that I hear from a lot of people who are not in healthcare. “I don’t know how you do a full 12-hour shift when it’s life-and-death work. I mean, I have long days working too but cutting and styling hair isn’t life and death. I just can’t understand how you … Continue reading A Plea for Help in Making Nursing Sustainable
The Heart of Nursing 