During day 3 of this incredible experience I’d like to use this space to express how incredibly touched I was by our discussion about showing emotion to our patients and our families. It does break my heart that we often, too often, find it inappropriate to show raw human emotion in order to avoid looking weak or unprofessional. In my opinion, in our line of work, I feel that expressing such emotion in fact portrays just the opposite; it is perhaps the most genuine way we can in fact show patients and families the we are deeply invested in our work. I hope from the bottom of my heart that all of us never forget that discussion and do not allow someone to take away that humanity from us. We work in a profession that forces us to witness many devastating events, and fighting that emotion and fighting our humanness… Continue reading →

Today’s session was yet another very eye opening experience and forced me to take yet another deep look at my own practice as well as that of my team. As a nurse I feel I am given the unique opportunity to see healthcare from a middle ground. I am deeply involved in my patients’ care every second of every minute on the ICU and I am also working closely with the rest of the care team to ensure that my patients receive the absolute best care. I take that responsibility very seriously. The lessons here in Marseille have opened my eyes to a variety of areas that absolutely must be improved upon.

I feel that it is very easy for healthcare providers to fall into the “this is the way its always been done” mentality because that is the message many of our superiors have instilled upon us, and no… Continue reading →