We are all called to work in teams these days, on papers, articles, projects, grant submissions and so on. Don’t get me wrong. Most of the people I work with are great and all of them are smart. But each has a different style that makes it challenging for me as a “get ‘er done” … Continue reading Navigating Interdisciplinary Teams: What I’ve Learned as a Nursologist
Author: Karen Foli
The Purpose of Sadness
Through popular culture, we are conditioned to value positive emotions and not only to value them, but on many occasions, place them as superior to negative feelings. Of course, the psychiatric nurses out there will insist that feelings aren’t bad or good, better or worse, they just are. I would advance this idea to reinforce … Continue reading The Purpose of Sadness
Nurses and Self-Compassion
A few months ago, I spoke at the Northwest Indiana Nurses Research Consortium about nurses and Self compassion (thank you Marsha King and Lynette Rayman for this opportunity). I traced the notion of giving mercy and compassion to oneself back to the genesis of why so many of us chose nursing as our profession: our … Continue reading Nurses and Self-Compassion
When Nursing Faculty Burn Out
Unsplash.com: Photo by Isabella Fischer I have a friend, Margaret, who confesses to being burned out. She’s in a state of panic and malaise, characterized by feeling weighed down by exhaustion, disengagement, and decreased productivity. With a faculty appointment as an associate professor in a public university, she balances teaching, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, … Continue reading When Nursing Faculty Burn Out
“Stranger in a foreign Land”: Crossing the Political Divide to Support Adoptive Families
It’s somewhat fitting that I begin this blog by quoting Moses from the Old Testament, who became the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. I use these words to convey how I felt at a recent conference sponsored by the National Council for Adoption (NCFA), a national organization of adoption professionals. Encouraged to submit an … Continue reading “Stranger in a foreign Land”: Crossing the Political Divide to Support Adoptive Families
Nurse as Patient Part 2: Anomalies in Normal Science*
Photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash I believe there is more to say about the “nurse as patient,” a necessary shift in our thinking about the global crisis in nursing. Let me start by describing an article I use in one of my courses. This semester, I am the instructor of record for a … Continue reading Nurse as Patient Part 2: Anomalies in Normal Science*
Nurse as Patient
I listened with great interest to the webinar presentation by Shannon Zenk, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, Director, National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), on “The Future of Nursing Research: Innovation, Collaboration and Impact,” to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing on April 28, 2022. Dr. Zenk outlined the priorities of the NINR (2022) as … Continue reading Nurse as Patient
Comfort for Me, Comfort for You
My mother, Adele, passed away two days ago. She was only 91 years old and due to some unexpected injuries, was beyond life-saving measures. She’d escaped demise throughout her life, surviving two large meningiomas in her brain as well as chronic illnesses. But this blog isn’t about her life, nor her presence in my life. … Continue reading Comfort for Me, Comfort for You
Selling Theory
He lounged in the chair, laptop nestled in his lap. “Here, look at this,” he waived toward his screen. I bent over, squinting, and saw a colorful graph of lines that reminded me of a holiday decoration. “It’s a stochastic model of cellular growth….” He went on to mention the conditions that were being modeled, … Continue reading Selling Theory
Trauma-informed teaching in the era of COVID-19
See Dr. Foli's "Middle Range Theory of Nurses' Psychological Trauma" 2020 was the year I applied trauma-informed approaches to my teaching. This was the year I learned being kind and compassionate were also good pedagogical practices. In previous years, I have been recognized as an “award-winning” teacher. I did all the things a good teacher … Continue reading Trauma-informed teaching in the era of COVID-19