"The results of your biopsy are back. Unfortunately, it is invasive ductal carcinoma." "Ok.... ok." I immediately felt hugely detached from myself, as though I was watching the person holding her cell phone, reaching for a chair to steady herself. It was like watching that pivotal scene in the movie where the audience gasps and … Continue reading The Call that Shifted Me from Nurse to Patient
resilience
An ICU Nurse’s Complicated Relationship with the Turn of the New Year
I wrote a post around Thanksgiving about the strange chasm between holiday bliss and hospital grief. After that post, our unit entered into a stormy December when we saw one tiny human go from just so new to the world, to an everything-altering diagnosis, to sick but cute and alert, to crashing onto ECMO and … Continue reading An ICU Nurse’s Complicated Relationship with the Turn of the New Year
Putting a Self-Respecting Foot Down for Rest
It’s been quieter on this space than I’d like it to be, but that’s because it’s been an exceptionally full year of speaking – conferences, webinars and most recently (and *so* enjoyably!), podcasts. After my podcast episode with the lovely Chris and Claire Sandys from The Silent Why on “Loss of Health and Life in … Continue reading Putting a Self-Respecting Foot Down for Rest
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
New Blog Post for AJN: How to Support the Nurse in Your Life, May 2022
Nurses, this latest blog post I wrote for American Journal of Nursing is for sharing with your friends and family, who may be struggling to know how to support you. Of course we don’t expect our friends and family fix all our woes, but here are some tips for them in what - and what not - … Continue reading New Blog Post for AJN: How to Support the Nurse in Your Life, May 2022
Truths and Lies in Nursing
Some healthy perspective for a Friday afternoon: Truth: What I do at work holds great responsibility and implications for others’ lives. Lie: I am responsible for everyone I could possibly be responsible for, and should feel guilty if I take time off, don’t pick up an extra shift, or need to request a lighter assignment … Continue reading Truths and Lies in Nursing
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?
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 