We've had a number of very sad and sobering deaths in our pediatric ICU as of late. Some were kids who were only just recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, who decompensated more quickly than anyone was prepared for. Some were kids who had been dealing with a chronic illness for years and were in … Continue reading Ode to Fellow Nurses
grief
Upcoming Webinar with Speaking Grief: Minimizing Burnout in Death Care Professionals
The Speaking Grief Initiative is doing such important work in recognizing and validating the reality of grief in our world, both personally and professionally. I'm so grateful to be a panelist in this upcoming webinar on "Minimizing Burnout in Death Care Professionals." While this webinar speaks first and foremost to the experience of funeral directors, … Continue reading Upcoming Webinar with Speaking Grief: Minimizing Burnout in Death Care Professionals
Heart for My Fellow Pediatric Nurses: SPN 2022 Annual Conference Keynote
Tomorrow morning I get to present a keynote at the National Society of Pediatric Nurses 2022 Annual Conference. Mixed motives are always a part of the bag. But my honest prayer is that I would decrease, and that You, the Lover and Redeemer and Rescuer of our Souls, oh God, would increase. Help us to … Continue reading Heart for My Fellow Pediatric Nurses: SPN 2022 Annual Conference Keynote
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
A Letter from a Christian PICU Nurse to the Western Christian Church
To my Western Christian brothers and sisters, I come to you as a fellow Christian and as a pediatric ICU nurse with a burden and a plea. I come to you as someone who knew in theory and through some personal experience before I became a nurse, that this world can be cruel and unfair. … Continue reading A Letter from a Christian PICU Nurse to the Western Christian Church
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
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
The Heart of Nursing 