Putting Down Her Burden: A Patient’s Final Choice

‘goodbye, inhaler!’

Chronic illness as a Sisyphean bargain.

Sisyphus was a legendary king of ancient Greece who was condemned by the gods to eternally roll a rock up a hill, only to have it roll down again each time as it neared the top.

Many people with chronic illness today may be able to relate. Chronic illness can mean years or even decades of worsening symptoms and ever more complex medication and treatment regimens, side effects of treatments, treatments for side effects, monetary pressures, activity limitations, a sense of separateness from the legions of the merely ‘walking worried’ around us, and the subtle pervasive tension and vigilance of never quite knowing what might come next.

The ironies of advanced medicine.

The assumption, of course, is that all the effort is worth it. And it is: many of us benefit from, or know people who benefit from, drugs that keep them alive when 50 or 100 years ago they would have died long ago, or keep them able to walk, or breathe without a struggle, or sleep without excruciating nerve pain or the itching of terrible skin sores, and so on. Life has always been about compromise; these are simply new refinements of a universal equation. […]

2020-01-23T10:03:01-05:00January 23rd, 2020|Nursing, nursing stories, patient experience|1 Comment
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A Nursing Way with Meaning

“I have found that the residents of Johnson Tower teach me more about being a nurse and a human being than you would imagine.”

Despite our seriously malfunctioning health care system, sometimes we are lucky enough to be reminded of the richness of our practice. Most of us experience a bright spot or two on most days—a patient’s condition finally improves, and we know we had a hand in that; we are able to spend some “quality time” to help a patient cope with her illness; a discharged patient returns for a happy visit.

Thriving, not just surviving.

A few of us, though, are lucky enough to have nursing work in which we can thrive, and not merely survive, every day. In this month’s Reflections column, “The Way of Johnson Tower,” nurse practitioner Mark Darby describes his work in an unlikely setting: a medical clinic located in a public housing high-rise. Resources may leave something to be desired—occasional leaks from the laundry above seem to target the clinic’s centrifuge—but his practice is rich and fulfilling.

“All these people, despite their circumstances, teach me more about generosity, perseverance, and hope than I could learn anywhere else.”

[…]

2019-12-02T12:57:58-05:00December 2nd, 2019|Nursing, nursing roles, nursing stories, Public health|1 Comment
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Self-Disclosure in the Nurse-Patient Relationship

“How much of ourselves should we share with our patients?”

Illustration by Jennifer Rodgers for AJN

The ‘therapeutic use of self.’

Early nursing theorists wrote about how the “therapeutic use of self” helps us to forge close working relationships with our patients. Today we talk about authenticity, and it’s been noted that “the essence of nursing care comes from bringing our authentic selves to the nurse-patient relationship.”

We each develop a nursing “style,” weaving our own identities into the way we relate to patients and families. But where do the parts of ourselves that are very much “us” but not immediately evident to others come into the picture?

“Would a single mother hesitate to share her story of adopting a child without
a male partner? Would a widower refrain from correcting the assumption that
his spouse is still alive?. . . . I am compelled by the belief that sharing truth in either
scenario would enhance the authenticity of the relationship. Nevertheless, I remain
reluctant to correct my patients’ misperceptions of my family life.”

To disclose or not to disclose?

In this month’s Reflections column, “A Lie by Omission?“, nurse practitioner Charles Yingling takes a thoughtful look at what we choose to share with our patients, and what […]

2019-01-18T09:31:02-05:00January 18th, 2019|Nursing, nursing stories, patient engagement|0 Comments
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A Crucial Public Health Lesson: Let the Women Speak

” . . . people have their own hope and power which they need to discover.”

Illustration by Gingermoth for AJN.

Do some public health projects fail to live up to their ambitions because they were conceived in a conference room rather than in dialogue with those they are trying to help? It seems possible. Terms like client or community “buy-in” are now fashionable, but maybe what’s really meant by such terms is that people are given a chance to state their needs and their concerns ahead of time. And that someone is listening.

In this month’s Reflections essay by nurse practitioner Mark Darby, he remembers a valuable lesson once imparted to him through example by a Dominican priest. “Shut Up and Let the Women Speak” doesn’t flatter the younger version of the author who once visited the Dominican Republic on a medical mission. […]

2017-12-11T08:37:50-05:00December 11th, 2017|Nursing, nursing stories, Public health|0 Comments
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‘Micro’ and ‘Macro’ Strategies for Nursing to Thrive as a Profession

At last month’s annual convention of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN), nurse and health care economist Peter Buerhaus received the Anthony J. Jannetti Award “for extraordinary contributions to health care.” Buerhaus, a professor of nursing at Montana State University College of Nursing, is widely known across health care disciplines for his research on health care costs and value, especially in regard to nurses and nursing. In his keynote talk, Buerhaus shared some of his recent research findings and offered some “micro” and “macro” nursing strategies for thriving amid today’s health care challenges.

Nurses maintain status as highly trusted professionals.

Click to expand. Most trusted professions, Gallup 2017 poll.

He began by reminding the group of some of the reasons that nurses are respected and trusted in America. People believe that nurses ensure quality of care, protect patients and maintain safety standards, and provide advice on personal health issues.

Studies show that we maintain this trusted status even when the media reports on the mistakes of individual nurses. And after good media attention, as when Alex Wubbels protected her patient or when nurses play key roles in disaster relief efforts, our approval ratings soar.

Accomplishments of NPs have reinforced good reputation of nurses.

2017-11-17T10:20:27-05:00November 15th, 2017|Nursing, nursing research|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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