Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski, BSN, RN

Some Experiences You Will Never Forget

Posted May 10th, 2019

One of my last days working on the floor, about 5 minutes before change of shift, an emergency bell sounded. Staff moved quickly towards the room knowing that the staff was respectful of what the bell was signaling: someone really needed help. Upon entering the room and quickly assessing what was going on, everyone went […]

My Walk with Faith

Posted May 3rd, 2019

“I can’t sleep. I feel shaky. Will you walk with me if you have time?” she asked around 2 a.m.  “Of course. Let’s take a walk,” I replied.  Andrea asked this often when I was working night shift. I’m unsure if she actually felt unsteady in the beginning. She certainly appeared to walk safely on her […]

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 […]

The Bond Amongst Nurses

Posted May 7th, 2018

Since leaving the floor I worked on, many other nurses have left as well. The unit we worked on was challenging physically, emotionally, and psychologically as I think most oncology units are. Most of the nurses who have left have continued to work with the oncology population but in outpatient facilities. Some nurses, we refer […]

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 […]