“Nursing should not be a sacrifice, but one of the highest delights of life.” Florence Nightingale, 1897
Most recently I’ve been an integral part of a hospital’s wellness team. I’m partnering with my community focusing on supporting Nurses in the hospital setting using the tools and skills of Integrative Nurse Coaching.
I’ve been fortunate to use Integrative Nurse Coaching skills and wisdom in so many valuable ways over the last decade since graduating from the Integrative Nurse Coach® Academy (Cohort #4) in 2012. It’s been an absolute blessing to combine my Nursing education with my passions and strengths in ways that speak to the true nature of my being, and the true nature of how I see Nursing as a profession.
This work is both challenging and rewarding and I am grateful for all of it.
Listening to raw stories of present-day Nurses has created feelings of vulnerability and grief within me since I too have a story of burnout. For many years, I was immersed in a healthcare system I thrived in and without notice (or at least I thought), I lost my joy, passion, and dedication for the work I had loved. That tragic shift hurt me deep to my core, in ways I didn’t have the language or understanding to explain at that point.
I had taken my oath to support and care for my patients so deeply, that I’d sacrificed support and care for myself. I had become lost in the day-to-day grind of doing everything that I could to support my patients, my colleagues, and my hospital, that I’d lost me.
Since graduating from the Integrative Nurse Coach® Academy’s Integrative Nurse Coach® Certificate Program, I’ve been on a grand voyage of discovering more of who I truly am by exploring holistic healing modalities. It’s been challenging, and it’s been healing, and I find myself falling into old patterns at times, so this is a constant reminder to me to keep on doing the hard work of returning to myself, my needs and desires and finding delight in my work.
Sit Side by Side
As I sit side by side with fellow Nurses who are committed to caring for patients in the hospital setting, it can be easy to fall into personally relating as I deeply listen to stories of suffering, pain, guilt. “Yes! That happened to me too!” I feel my stomach churn, and my breath quicken as I bear witness to their sadness and sorrow.
As I’m about to be carried away, I hear the soft and strong voice of Co-Founder of Integrative Nurse Coaching and Nurse Theorist Dr. Barbara Dossey whisper, “Soft front, strong back, Nicole.” And I physically place my hand on my heart, connect with my breath, and I acknowledge the feelings of being human, and remind myself of my purpose- to listen with curiosity, with purpose and with love.
You see, another layer of healing has begun for all of us, and this is needed now, and will be forever.
We are Healing Together
We are healing together. As she shares her story with me, I support her, I see her, and I value her. Afterwards, she then takes her strong and uplifted spirit back to her work and infuses it into her patients and colleagues and we elevate the world’s vibrations together.
Her impact is greater and so is her productivity, and likely, she is focused on giving her all, and not looking for another job (2023, ANA).
You see, “no one truly understands the ins and outs of a day of a Nurse, like a fellow Nurse” (2022, Letters to a Future Nurse). This is why it’s imperative to employ a Nurse on all wellness teams in hospitals (and of course everywhere!), so Nurses voices are heard, and used to improve the environments they work in.
Nurses on Wellness Teams
Nurses on wellness teams just make sense! When a Nurse is an integral piece of a hospital’s wellness team they bring a unique depth of connection and wisdom to the organization.
Since RNs are the largest occupation in hospitals (2020, U.S. Bureau of Statistics), it makes sense that hospital administration should be focused on the health and wellbeing for their high achieving human capital! Patients are admitted to hospitals because they need 24 hours of Nursing care and skill.
Why Nurses on Wellness Teams are Important
Hospitals will be well positioned when they incorporate Nurses into their wellness teams. Many hospital wellness teams don’t have Nurses on their teams, so Nurses voices are not represented and often wellness offerings fall flat because of this. It seems an obvious fix, and yet Nurses are often not included in these important decisions.
Reasons Why Nurses are Needed on Wellness Teams
- Nurses understand the needs of fellow Nurses
- Nurses trust fellow Nurses
- Nurses bring life and work wisdom to their jobs
- Nurses speak up for the needs of other Nurses and humans
- Nurses understand the healthcare system and hospital settings
- Nurses have built-in respect with each other and the community
- Nurses have education and many specialized certifications that support this work
- Nurses are trustworthy, brave and will speak up for what is right
- Nurses know what is impacting health and wellness in their facilities
Historically, Nurses have been overlooked as integral members of wellness, and I see the tides shifting as more Nurse Coaches arrive on the scene.
Nurse Coaches are infusing new, energetic ideas that support and elevate healthcare systems to bring delight back to work! And we’re doing this together!
Email Nicole Vienneau at nvienneau@inursecoach.com
Nicole Vienneau MSN, RN, NC-BC is a recovering burned-out ICU Nurse. Through Integrative Nurse Coaching and holistic modalities, she’s on the daily voyage to well-becoming.
Nicole is founder Restoration Room and Blue Monarch Health, an author, podcast host of the Integrative Nurse Coaches in ACTION!, holds a board certification in Integrative Nurse Coaching and combines 20+ years of Nursing with 30+ years of fitness, health coaching and energy work to partner with mid-life women and healthcare workers who want to THRIVE!
She loves her husband, her two crazy cats and enjoys being in nature and having fun.
