Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Nursing

  • Nursing diagnoses

    Mat Matteson, Geraldine Gorman Chicago, Illinois, United States   Introduction: An inoculation in just time Manic heart Mark W. Lubich Detail of original, Acrylic paint on canvas 21 X 21 inches   Ah, the end of the semester. In the best of times it hauls with it taunting deadlines, a gaggle of loose ends, and inevitable…

  • Her name was Krystal

    Laura Monahan Rockford, Illinois, United States   Her name was Krystal; she was four years old, and she was tiny—her head barely reaching the top of my knees. She was in the hospital, again, for another surgical procedure. She had undergone twenty-one surgeries since she was born, most related to her defective bowel development, and…

  • My mom’s death

    Kristen Erickson Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States   My mom, Tracey, died just over nine years ago at the age of 39. I had just turned 16. Diagnosed with glioblastoma in July 2001, my mother’s last six months were filled with surgeries, infections, and radiation treatments. She rapidly declined in strength, followed by confusion and death.…

  • Maximum security kindness or the public health nurse accrues her CEU’s

    Geraldine Gorman Chicago, Illinois, United States   When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people. Abraham Joshua Heschel As she leaned into the doorway of my room, I explained the quandary to my daughter, Grace. “I don’t know what to do,” I said, “I am supposed…

  • Letters to Dad

    Erin Brady Chicago, Illinois, United States   My father died in an electrical accident. He had always been a skilled handyman, and he was beginning a major renovation on our new house. One Saturday afternoon, he was in the attic trying to get the sconces and the ceiling fan in the family room to work…

  • Simple gestures: a nursing student’s journey through the ICU

    Elizabeth Cambier, RN Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago For those of us who have chosen to pursue careers in the healthcare field, the lessons we learn in life are what make us true professionals. Like the finishing touches that transform a sketch into a work of art, our lives allow us to read between the…

  • A coffee many years later

    Drita Puharić, MSN Makarska, Croatia   I’m sitting in a small cafe bar waiting for my friend Marija whom I haven’t seen since high school. She left with her husband for Canada after the war. How long had it been since we’d seen each other? It seems like an eternity… I can’t wait to see…

  • Oppression in nursing practice

    Denise Pasieka University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Fall 2015) Oppression is the dehumanization of another and is often viewed as a negative result of power. It occurs when there are efforts to reduce, confine, and discipline people into subordination.1Oppressive behaviours are noted in nursing practice today but are often not questioned; instead, they are…

  • The boy with the fedora

    Christopher J. Schayer New Haven, Connecticut (Fall 2016) Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Photo submitted. One of the many wonderful things about going to school in New Haven, Connecticut is its proximity to New York City.  From the Metro North ride into the opulent Grand Central Station, to window shopping on 5th…

  • To Nurse – Hospital Halls – Breath – and more

    Carol Battaglia Chicago, Illinois   To nurse Hospital halls To Care To Solace To Touch To Feel To Hurt To Need To Heal, others as well as ourselves. I have walked these hospital halls for many years now. Thousands of steps, thousands of words, it’s no wonder I’m tired. Talked out. The emotions of others…