Whenever the child abuse cases, or “non-accidental traumas (NATs)” come into our unit, a very tender unsettledness, laced with anger, descends upon all the staff. We hate all kinds of suffering that our little patients endure, but the suffering that comes with intent and disregard from the hands of the very adults who are supposed … Continue reading Caring for Non-Accidental Traumas as a PICU Nurse
compassion
Healthcare Workers are from Mars, Patients and Families are from Venus
Earlier this week, a panel of colleagues at my hospital participated in an Ethics Grand Rounds where they discussed the topic, "When Parents Question Our Expertise: Trust Alliance, and Boundaries in Pediatric Care." As you can imagine, the conversation was full of stories about tensions with patients' family members, personal/shared struggles when we feel fractures … Continue reading Healthcare Workers are from Mars, Patients and Families are from Venus
Grief as a Teacher (revisited)
In my TEDTalk from 2017, I made a comment about grief being a powerful teacher. I've been asked for elaboration on this statement a number of times since then, and I always pause in my response because I know it's true, but it's deep and difficult to explain on the spot. But it deserves a … Continue reading Grief as a Teacher (revisited)
Walking Closely with Families: A Letter
A letter to my long time patient’s mom — You were trapped in the fishbowl of our ICU. You went from a numb stare to near catatonic with grief to terse and closed in to opening your door a crack to pouring your heart out, telling me stories, speaking of fears and hopes and uncertainties … Continue reading Walking Closely with Families: A Letter
Participate in the Survey for Grief Sensitive Healthcare Project
"What do I even do as the nurse with this devastated family right now?" When I was in nursing school, I didn't receive any formal training in how to sit with deeply grieving patients and families. I remember one brief exercise in empathy during an ethics class, where my classmates and I awkwardly role-played and … Continue reading Participate in the Survey for Grief Sensitive Healthcare Project
How My Patients and Families Help Me in Seasons of Suffering
When I and my husband had our back-to-back medical crises in 2023, me getting a breast cancer diagnosis followed by him getting a severe spinal cord injury resulting from the most random epidural abscess, I continued working through the bulk of that entire year (minus a week for post-op lumpectomy recovery, and the month I … Continue reading How My Patients and Families Help Me in Seasons of Suffering
A Story About Paying Attention
If I may be perfectly honest with you, I love lighter nursing shifts. Maybe because they are so few and far between in our PICU. Maybe because my to-do list with work and extracurricular nursing projects is never-ending, so I welcome any down time I have in my shifts to chip away at those, rather … Continue reading A Story About Paying Attention
When Vaccine-Skeptic Friends Reached Out for Medical Advice: A Story of Hope in Tumultuous Times
At the start of this politically tumultuous 2025, I felt I needed to learn to have conversations with people who think very differently than me. As strong as my convictions were about plenty of things, I knew I needed to remember the humanity of people who have vastly different perspectives than mine. I also frankly … Continue reading When Vaccine-Skeptic Friends Reached Out for Medical Advice: A Story of Hope in Tumultuous Times
The Christmas Hospital Story that Stays With Me
Weary and slightly bewildered from an unexpected month in the hospital, her eyes also shone with eagerness and relief that they were one big step away from going home, just in time for Christmas. But it was her poise that stood out to me. A quiet strength that carried the unbelievable story of an athlete … Continue reading The Christmas Hospital Story that Stays With Me
A Different Kind of Expertise for a Different Kind of Healing
The baby came to us from another hospital with multi-layered complications since her premature birth. Her dad was absent, and her mom had two and a half strikes working against her in life. The other hospital had reached its limit in what they could do for the baby, so they sent the baby to us. … Continue reading A Different Kind of Expertise for a Different Kind of Healing
The Heart of Nursing 