Marilyn Powell

Coping with the Grief and Trauma of Nursing:: the Journey of a Burnt-out Team of Nurses to Healing and Self Empowerment Marilyn Powell

Nurses who daily witness trauma and death are strangely silent about sharing their distress and are often divisive and unsupportive of each other. Nursing management, seemingly blind to the stresses and grief carried by nurses and unwilling to even recognize these issues. What lies beneath these behaviors and can nurses provide effective care for clients when their own intrinsic needs remained unrecognized? These questions are explored in a participative research project with a team of 11 burnout community palliative care nurses. The group process begins with an exploration of the culture of nursing, revealing historical expectations of conformity and altruism still influencing expectations of nurses today. As the nurses' stories unfolded, the depths of caring and accumulated grief emerged. Embedded in the stories however was the realisation that their caring had been limited to their clients and was not extended to themselves or to each other. The resultant journey of healing transformed a burnout team to a vibrant, supportive community. This book will provide a template for nurse managers and educators in fostering a culture of empowerment and support within nursing teams.