Lots of Transitions in Play ...   in all of our lives.  As you know I have been immersed in the End of Life Coaching and Doula program through the Conscious Dying Institute (which is connected with Watson's Caring Science Institute) I'm almost done, certification happens in December. The question for me has been, How does EOL relate to my wellness coaching for nurses & others? How does this relate to my passion for nurses & nursing leadership? How does it relate to my b...

Caritas - A way of seeing the world Caritas - The foundation of Human Caring of Humanity Caritas -  The Holy Grail of Human Caring Caritas - Latin, "Love of all" COVID-19 -  Pandemic, disrupting lives and challenging nurses beyond the realm of reason Caring Science -  Is more than the practice of compassion and kindness It is Saving Lives and Human Caring It is paying attention to what matters most to people It is authenticity, patient choice, care equity It is health promotion ...

Interview by Michele Little, founder of Beautiful Dying Expo - San Diego.  Beautiful Dying Expo's mission is to expand awareness and encourage meaningful conversation, demystifying the process of dying and death by bringing industry experts together to share current tools, new ideas and resources with the public. Creating a Lasting Legacy  We chatted about: Parallel transitions between Nursing, Caring and EOL in year 2020 My story behind writing,  Getting Real About Caring What I...

We Have Never Been Nurses Isn't this a startling thought?  That's what I thought when I first heard about this article, We Have Never Been Nurses in Advances in Nursing Science, 2020. Yes, it is heavily academic, but sizes up where we are as a discipline and how we got here. Where we go from here is hazy.   Nursing, as a distinct discipline and profession, has always been shackled by our employment and economic dependence on the healthcare industry, and other systems of employment such as...

There's a lot going on in healthcare and in nursing across the country ... and world. Lots of life saving and grief comforting, ... in the swirl of conflicting forces and messages. You may be caught in the COVID-19 surge where your work is endless, or you may be caught in an area where there is not enough work and you are furloughed. In the midst of this ... here are some grounding practices to make your own.  Taken from Watson’s Caritas – Veritas Literacy Guide  "Start here ...   Cultiv...

The Practice of Breathing with a Patient  It is a method many have found to be remarkably useful. Ask the patient if you can sit and breathe with them for a moment. Explain that there is nothing they need to do but relax and breathe comfortably. Watch the rise and fall of their abdomen so as to tune in to their breath rhythm. Tune into that rise and fall and adjust your respiration rate to theirs, breathe their breath. After a few mutual breaths have been established, as th...

Blessing of the Hands Ceremony In Honor of Nurses       (COVID safe) Equipment - Rolling Carts: A simple cart on wheels draped with white linen 2 Small pitchers (creamers or small tea pots) filled with an  Essential Oil or Reiki blessed water Eye dropper with each pitcher 1 Candle - battery operated Small papers with Nurses prayers- to hand out Blessing of the Hands Process: What - Rolling Carts fully equipped Who- Each cart is ushered by 2 people - 1 of which...

Crazy times. Survival is the mission now in this COVID pandemic. And nurses are right in the middle of it. Nurses’ presence with patients at their most vulnerable times has never been so public. Nurses' role in service to humanity has never been so loud in the media. And more broadly in one way or another, this pandemic is changing everything.  An Opportunity for Nursing? As you know, thinking about nursing and caring — what it is, what it is not, and the importance of how we ...

Remember these 2 things:  #1    choosing anger vs laughter from Thebestbrainpossible.com #2 why we're doing this from Metro News and picture; Picture from Triangle News – UK 3/19/20 🙏

There are 2 things that pull me into Nightingale’s writings in this moment in time: Her clarity of nursing's domain and disciplinary distinctions from medicine Her statement: "nursing is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him"  Why are these topics of interest to me?  Because we're not good at either of them. #1. Let’s start here, Nursing's Disciplinary Distinctions from Medicine I've always been struck when nurses ... refer to themselves as ...