What would you talk about if you had a 30-minute walk-break with co-workers? There is so much to share, ask, challenge or debate. CMSA’s Inaugural Blog will facilitate some lively discussions. Of course, we will be sensitive to Protected Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) as well as adhere to Privacy Laws. But…we can talk about the triumphs and challenges we face as a community of practice and anyone can participate.
I can envision more “walks and talks” as we recover from the pandemic. My discussion would center around mental health. Anecdotal reports indicate mental health needs have increased as a result of the pandemic. This appears to be an additional burden in a specialty area that is already limited in many places. How can we bring to bear, all the mental health resources that may be available? The programs are there, but it is a challenge to identify sources efficiently. Any successes out there that we can export nationally?
Many years ago when I was a new nurse, my first job was inpatient hospice and oncology. As you can imagine, the emotional stress of such a unit is pretty high. I became friends with the chaplain at the hospital, and began having lunch with him. I discovered that our conversations strayed to this emotional distress more often than not. His experience and background made him an extremely helpful counselor as I became accustomed to the toll my new job is taking on my mental health.
We expanded our conversations to a more formal once a month meeting and invited the whole staff of the hospice and oncology unit. The attendance at our conversations was hit or miss, but just the formal act of gathering, the conversation, and the mutual support was extremely helpful.
I’m a strong believer in the power and importance of open and clear conversation about emotions, concerns, and difficulties. Many good things come from building relationship that involves such conversation.