You know those meetings where one person does all the talking? Might be a well-intentioned expert. Might be an opinionated know it all. For whatever reason the spark that fuels discussion just never happens. People get bored; they check their cell phones; respond to texts. It is painful for everyone. And then there are those […]
This is a season of promises made, promises kept, and of revisiting promises yet to be enacted. There is the promise of rebirth signified by the holiday season. There are New Year’s resolutions as we strive to do better. And it also a time to acknowledge what we do well and what we can build […]
My original opening for this blog was: The first snows have blanketed ski slopes. On the shoulders of the Rockies, the aspens are a bright yellow. In the folds of the Appalachians the fall mists welcome the morning. ‘Leaf peepers’ in the North East make seasonal treks to see shades of scarlet, orange, and russet […]
If you have read other blogs in this series, you know that I am frequently inspired by nature. The harvest moon was in full glory this past week, signaling farmers that it is time for harvest. Birds and butterflies are migrating south, individually and in sky-darkening flocks. Hurricanes are rampaging through warm waters. Each day […]
Recently I’ve had numerous conversations where people ask about the experiences of nurse practitioners in education, postgraduate training, and practice. Basically, who are they and what do they do? How are their experiences different from other health care professionals? I realized that the underlying theme was the professional identity of nurse practitioners. The process of […]
Once again, the news has been filled with disturbing and distressing international and local reports of chaos, anger, and violence. I struggle with understanding how our society perpetuates such profound disenfranchisement. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ve already figured out that my compensatory mechanisms are to focus on the wonders of nature; curiosity […]
Erene Stergiopoulos is an author, an educational researcher, a decade-long cancer patient and now a third-year medical student at the University of Toronto. She recently wrote about the cloak of superhuman invulnerability that is worn by many in the helping professions. Erene expressed eloquently how experiencing life as a patient has informed her view of healthcare and had […]
It was early on a Saturday. The sun was up and shadows receding. Dew sparkled in the stillness of the morning. I was drinking my first cup of coffee, sitting on our deck in the shade of a nearby pine tree. Birdsong filled the air. This year’s fledgling purple martins were soaring overhead with dazzling […]
Sundials work when sunlight creates a shadow, thereby allowing us to tell time. Light and shadow are equally important. Without the shadow, the sundial doesn’t work. Similarly, accreditation shines a light on what works, it is an overall indicator of excellence. Equally important, accreditation is a mechanism for acknowledging the shadows — identifying areas that […]
It doesn’t matter if one is negotiating an international peace agreement, conducting an accreditation self study, giving feedback to a preceptor, or offering suggestions to a novice trainee, the communication goal is threefold: to advance the conversation, to hear and be heard accurately, and to have a functional exchange between the participants. James Ryan, Dean […]
