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 compassion
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
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
On Being a Christian Mother and a Pediatric ICU Nurse
There may be no greater revealers of my deepest wrestling with my humanity than the roles of both a mother and a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurse. Everyone says becoming a parent changes you, and it does, in countless indescribable ways. Every healthcare professional says being close to sickness and death changes you, and … Continue reading On Being a Christian Mother and a Pediatric ICU Nurse
Upcoming TEDx Talk on Nursing
As my passion for finding greater heart-level support for myself and fellow nurses has grown, I have struggled to understand the lack of resources and voices available in both book and video format. Please don't misunderstand me; I am incredibly grateful for the currently existing journals, books and websites that start to tell the story … Continue reading Upcoming TEDx Talk on Nursing
The Elusive Work-Life Balance: On Self-Compassion
On my morning drive to work, I shake off the cloud of drowsiness, and I debate whether to get caught up on the news – sadly nowadays, a too easy way to already burden myself before my 6:50AM arrival at the hospital – or enjoy the 40 minutes of silence before whatever will unfold, unfolds. I … Continue reading The Elusive Work-Life Balance: On Self-Compassion
The Heart of Nursing 