Life as a 23% burn survivor shaped my expereince and led me to the nursing profession. At the age of 20 years old, I began my nursing career at West Penn Burn Unit in Pittsburgh, PA. Depsite my lived experience as a burn survivor, I was grossly underprepared for what I would witness. Those years were equally hard and humbling - and a bit blurry as trauma tends to be.
These years left me with 2 very powerful messages
1) That in taking care of the dying I would learn to live and
2) Alone is no longer enough.
From then on, my 20 year carrer has been a crusude to provide support to nurses navigating the physical, emotional and spiritual affects of cumulative care taking trauma.
I was working as an Assistant Professor at Towson University when the pandemic began and received a large number of calls and reach out from former students who were 1-2 years in the profession. It was the first time that nurses were fearful for themsleves, their patients, thier families and the commUNITY at large. Just 16 days after a global pandemic was declared, I faciliated our first debrieifng sessions and one by one began Debrieifng the Front Lines.
Since we have grown to a team of 3 board certified nurse coaches having faciliated 398 sessions in 2023.
61% if these sessions were scholarship based for those on medical leave due to anxiety, depression and PTSD and those facing extunuating life and financial hardship.
Although the pandemic is over - the trauma is only beginning to surface as nurses continue to face unsafe staffing, limited resources and navigate the ethical challenges in providing dignified quality patient care.
I believe we can be relentlessly honest about the facts while still remaining hopeful for the future.
I also share this work is the honor of my lifetime(s).
🌎 This GivingTuesday, I invite you to Heal Heal a Healer as collectively we work to raise $15,000 and provide 300 scholarshoip based debrieifng sessions.
🤎 Every $50 donation provides one scholarship session to a nurse in need.
