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
Author: Karen Foli
“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
The Marathon of Crisis: “We Want to Live Also”
None of us expected the pandemic to last this long. In March, we rallied against the growing and terrible virus, the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). At that time, we hunkered down, businesses temporarily closed to stem off the rising numbers of infection, and we all kind of figured it would end in … Continue reading The Marathon of Crisis: “We Want to Live Also”
COVID-19 and Psychological Trauma
I feel guilty as I write this. You see, I’m home with my family, safe and warm. Protected. Others, my comrades and fellow nurses are not. But I can guess, and have read and been informed of what they are facing on the front lines: reassigned to new hospitals and new duties, rendering care, sometimes … Continue reading COVID-19 and Psychological Trauma
Say It Ain’t So: Graduate Students Shade Nursing Theory!
Karen J. Foli, PhD, RN, FAAN I’d finished grading the last of the master’s-level students’ theory in nursing papers. I’d turned in final grades and then, the message came through: anonymous student course evaluations were ready for my review. I took a long sip of water and put my organic, no preservative, granola bar aside. … Continue reading Say It Ain’t So: Graduate Students Shade Nursing Theory!