It Might Sound Trite But…

Posted May 11th, 2021

This past weekend I had the chance to see some nursing friends I hadn’t seen in a while. All vaccinated and sitting at an outdoor table for brunch, it felt like no time had passed. Of course, over a year had gone by since we were able to sit face-to-face and enjoy each other’s company. […]

Sharing the Power of Palliative Care

Posted November 27th, 2018

There are some things you should learn in a classroom, and certain things that can only be truly understood once you’ve experienced them in real life. As a new-to-practice nurse on a medical-oncology unit, one such topic that presented itself within my first few days was that of the very real, very necessary, and truly […]

Lasting Connections

Posted September 4th, 2018

Over the course of my nursing career, I’ve met some truly incredible human beings. Like, people with whom you’d love to sit down and have a cold beer, or sit at their kitchen table over a meal. Those kinds of people—the ones who make your soul smile and warmth spring out of even the worst […]

Compassion: A Necessary Tool

Posted June 14th, 2018

This past weekend my older brother, Jim, graduated from medical school. And while this is primarily a “nursing” blog, the pride, insight, and motivation I walked away with from his graduation ceremony deserves to be shared. Aside from being a proud little sister, I stood in awe at these brilliant minds processing before their family […]

Supporting Your Loved One Through Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Ya Don’t Know ‘til Ya Know

Posted February 1st, 2018

Something a patient said to me this past week really struck a chord, prompting me to shift the basis of this blog post just a bit. It was one of those moments that makes you draw in a deep breath before even attempting to reply. As we casually discussed her treatment for that day and […]

Feel Those Feelings

Posted November 8th, 2017

Just about the first thing they taught us in nursing school was that, no matter what kind of unit we worked on, we would be caring for people during some of the most trying times of their lives and we should approach each shift with that in mind. When you are feeling your worst, we […]

Passion and Privilege

Posted October 10th, 2017

When my former co-worker, mentor, and forever friend Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski asked if I would like to contribute as a blogger for OncoLink, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. As a nurse on a medical-oncology unit, I had used OncoLink as a resource for myself, my patients, and their families for the past four years, and […]