Jan 9, 2023
She is a strong woman. The strongest woman I’ve probably ever met. Her strength is in her joyful spirit and the kindness she exudes to everyone she meets…. She is my mother, and she has been quite the model of unconditional love, service, kindness, and sacrifice.
Nurse practitioner Danielle Blackwell reflects on the...
Jan 2, 2023
When I think back on my career thus far, I do not remember the shifts that I left early or the days when everything went perfectly. But when Willie Nelson comes on over the radio, I can close my eyes and picture the vibrant colors of a woman’s last sunset.
Graduate nursing student Jessica Pierce reflects on what...
Dec 12, 2022
What I do know is in the desert of the Middle East I learned that the right decision isn’t always the easiest or most appealing. Our patients don’t need our judgment; they need our help.
Medical student Mason Blacker reflects on treating patients while stationed in Iraq and what is truly right and important...
Oct 31, 2022
The medical record from the day before includes a note from the chaplain who wrote that you smiled. I resolve to end more notes this way. The patient smiled.
Medical student Molly Fessler reflects on the profound experience of caring for a patient during their final days.
This essay placed second in the 2022 Hope...
Dec 27, 2021
With the mask muffling my voice and the omnipresent sound of monitor alarms, words too, were strained. I grew irate at the situation. The inability to talk. The inability to connect. The inability to touch.
Graduate nursing student Hunter Marshall reflects on isolation and connection during the chaos of the COVID-19...