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
self care
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
Happify Caregiving Webinar Available for Viewing
My webinar for Happify on “How to Care for Yourself as a Caregiver” is now available for free viewing anytime. Caregivers do such incredible but hidden, lonely, undervalued work. It was a true privilege to provide this space to spotlight how invaluable they are and validate the many burdens and needs. Please share this with … Continue reading Happify Caregiving Webinar Available for Viewing
Columbia University Narrative Medicine Volvox Presentation
Please join me, the editors of "The Healer's Burden: Stories and Poems of Professional Grief," and two other contributors to the book, Lara Ronan and Rondalyn Varney Whitney, for a virtual panel discussion in the upcoming Columbia University Narrative Medicine Volvox Presentation on Wednesday, October 28th, 2020, from 7-9 pm EST / 5-7 pm PST. … Continue reading Columbia University Narrative Medicine Volvox Presentation
When an Over-responsible Caregiver Learns a Life Lesson from a 5 Year Old
I have in recent weeks come up against my limits at times of what I can give to others and accomplish in the course of a day, and it hasn’t always been a graceful acceptance of those limits. I have instead resented them, and then learned the harder way to heed them and their inherent … Continue reading When an Over-responsible Caregiver Learns a Life Lesson from a 5 Year Old
Speaker Spotlight for 6th National Nursing Ethics Conference
I literally could not stop shaking when I received the email invitation to be the closing speaker for the 6th National Nursing Ethics Conference next year at UCLA. It is one of the most powerful and in-depth nursing conferences when we consider some of the core heart issues that nurses wrestle with as we are immersed … Continue reading Speaker Spotlight for 6th National Nursing Ethics Conference
Keynote Speech to RN Residency New Grad Nurses: The Best and Most Vital Thing You Can Give Your Patients
I had the privilege of delivering the keynote speech to our hospital's recent cohort of RN Residency New Graduate Nurses as they have completed orientation and will now be working independently in their respective units. One of the things I was most excited about was the opportunity to also briefly address the many friends and … Continue reading Keynote Speech to RN Residency New Grad Nurses: The Best and Most Vital Thing You Can Give Your Patients
New AJN blog post: Tallying Losses and Gains of Being a Nurse, and Finding Profit
My latest blog post for AJN was inspired by an honest conversation with a friend who went through a period of time when she wondered whether nursing was beginning to destroy her. These are some thoughts on how we emerge and find renewal of heart from that place. Click here to read the post.
Bringing the Voice of Nurses to the TED/TEDx Table – and how you can help
I love hearing people’s stories about their lives – their work, their family, their experiences of joy and of sorrow. Hearing the stories helps break down my misconceptions and false assumptions. The stories give me a deeper appreciation for life experiences that are far removed from my own. They teach me more about the depth … Continue reading Bringing the Voice of Nurses to the TED/TEDx Table – and how you can help
TEDxTalk – YouTube link is live!
On Sept 30 of this year, I had the incredible opportunity to give a TEDxTalk with TEDxPasadena on "How Grief Can Enable Nurses to Endure." This talk is for all healthcare professionals, but nurses in particular, who have grieved with and for their patients and families, and have went home wondering what to do with … Continue reading TEDxTalk – YouTube link is live!
The Heart of Nursing 