My conversation with Susan J Farese was inspiring. She shares her journey and career in nursing, what has driven her in her work and professional development and her inspiration as a writer. Her personal and professional experiences through this COVID-19 pandemic inspired a re-release of her poetry book as an opportunity to inspire writing and narrative as a point of reflection for nurses and health care professionals! So grateful she shared her work with us!

She is an experienced nurse, veteran, professional mentor & coach, and writer! Check out her website sjfcommunications.com

Her book Poetic Expressions in Nursing is available at indiebound.com 

Amy is a critical care nurse and charge nurse in a SICU in New Orleans. As the initial pandemic response started in 2020, she was identified within her organization because of her leadership, commitment, and expertise to lead and manage the COVID ICU. Amy shares her story about her journey to nursing, her work in the ICU and her experience leading a team during the initial COVID response. 

Amy and I talked about many things and we got to share a few laughs. One of my favorite things she shared was her opportunity to participate in a Dear World story when Dear world & AACN collaborated to share stories from the front line of the pandemic. Check out Dearworld.com for their story sharing work and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses project at HearUsOut.com

As season 2 opens, I am happy to provide an introduction and vision for what we are exploring. My personal experiences during the COVID 19 pandemic have been varied and I have struggled with the implications on my personal and professional relationships, work experiences, how this profession moves forward and recovers, and how we continue to provide the expert care we are committed to as nurses. 

I take this opportunity to provide a brief introduction into what my experiences have been and what are some of the things I am still working to process as a nurse and person living through this pandemic response. 

I encourage you to listen through season 2 to hear the fantastic and powerful stories of nurses across the country and in all aspects of health care! I am grateful for their passion to share and talk about their experiences!

Check out HearUsOut.com from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses as they work to advocate for the stories and experiences of nurses across the country. 

Cesar’s story of becoming a nurse is really about about travel, adventure, and new things. He talks about the decision to pursue nursing and the decision to build his professional career as a nurse in tandem with his life and work as a flight attendant. The parallels of the two professions are uncanny.

One of the most fantastic things about being a registered nurse is that it allows you the ability to diversify your life and do many things. Many people are farmers & nurses, artists & nurses, writers & nurses, and so much more.

His story illuminates the possibility of creating the work life balance within a profession like nursing, even during a pandemic!

Psychiatric nursing and mental health care are far under recognized, supported, and funded and Nicole is a champion of the care and cause of psychiatric and mental health nursing. She in the process of achieving what has always been her destiny and though the plan didn't come together as she had hoped when she set off on this journey is hasn't changed the importance and the significance of all she has achieved as a registered nurse!

On the surface, Hannah had a traditional path to nursing but hearing her story it is easy to see it was anything but traditional. She shares the experience of health challenges and scares as a young person and how that has influenced her ability to engage with the people she cares for. She is a leader in rewriting the rules for what careers should look like as new nurse and how you work to find the organization and patient population you love. I deeply valued hearing her say, "If you can't show up for yourself then you can't show up for your patient." She is 100% right and in this pandemic we can all take time to figure out what that looks like for ourselves! 

Dmitriy shares his inspiring journey to becoming a nurse. He talks about early experiences as a child in Tajikistan that continue to resonate deeply with him, inspired his path to nursing, and shape his practice as a nurse. His experience to becoming a nurse were not without ups and downs, challenges, and stress. His work to build positivity and resiliency into his life and practice are inspiring and uplifting. He is a reminder that we (each of us) can do hard things!

Chris is a self-proclaimed unicorn in the nursing field. He has developed and deepened roots in the nursing profession and is pursuing a PhD in Nursing but is not a registered nurse. His diverse and winding career path has given him the knowledge, skill, and ability to contribute to the development and creation of education for nurses. He has become an expert in the utilization of simulation as an educational modality and is building expertise in the research and study of civility in nursing. Learning about these topics from him makes this episode fly by and question everything we know about nursing education!

Graham’s journey to nursing was the opposite of predictable and planned. Her career and practice as an emergency department nurse is a great representation of what she has achieved and how she worked to succeed. She shares her journey taking us over the speed bumps and around every curve and sharp turn. Listening and learning about the road that her journey took was an honor and she shares her story with honesty with the best of humanity. Her story is an inspiration for those who are working to achieve so much against everything that stands in your way.