One of the most difficult things about trying to be empathetic, engaged and informed with all that has been going on with both our local Los Angeles wildfire devastation as well as our country's political chaos, is the utter overwhelmedness of so many very serious issues to grapple with all at once. I think most … Continue reading In Times of Overwhelm as a Nurse, Begin with One Intentional Act at a Time
pediatric ICU
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 Story of the One Loved
You were conceived, and your mother loved you immediately with her whole heart. In your earliest days, your hair and your face would already be programmed to take on much of your mother’s likeness. But something in your nascent genetics would also go quietly awry, taking you and your mom on a trajectory that some … Continue reading The Story of the One Loved
The Privilege of Entering into Patient Stories
We’d never talked. She only knew I was one of the other nurses in the ICU. I knew she was the mom of the kid everyone was concerned about. She was leaning on a countertop, motionless and alone, while the whole medical team was in motion in her child’s room. I approached her, and lightly … Continue reading The Privilege of Entering into Patient Stories
The Tensions We Constantly Navigate as Healthcare Workers
My therapist recently noted how much inner work and wrestling I must be constantly doing as a nurse, without being fully aware of what is rumbling underneath the surface. Today I find myself feeling really tender, and I’ve got a feeling it’s because of the recent accumulation of patient stories that have gone unpacked, evoking … Continue reading The Tensions We Constantly Navigate as Healthcare Workers
My EndWell Talk is Live! Practioner, Parent, Patient
Being invited to speak at EndWell's annual symposium last year was such an incredible honor. I LOVED giving this talk. People say all the time, "I don't know how you do the work that you do as a pediatric ICU nurse without being overwhelmed by all the emotions." "I don't know how you can be … Continue reading My EndWell Talk is Live! Practioner, Parent, Patient
The Heart of Nursing 