Wake-up call
Nurses can draw spiritual strength from their role as healers

By Joellen Koerner, Ph.D., MSN, RN
Midwest Edition Editor
September 24, 2001

These past weeks have proved a defining moment for our nation, a moment outside of time that called all of us to reassess what is meaningful in life. Individually and collectively, the soul of this nation and the world was awakened as we witnessed a tragedy of untold proportions.

In surveying the landscape, we saw the polarities of humankind unfold as unbelievable acts of terrorism were matched by remarkable acts of compassion and community. Never have both been so boldly played out on American soil.

The nursing landscape has made us familiar with issues of loss, crisis, tragedy and despair on an individual, family and, occasionally, community level. We learned early in our clinical education how to move into that difficult space and create an environment that safely allows people an opportunity to navigate the challenging issues surrounding a personal calamity. We are known and loved for our role as guides and advocates on the individual and family levels.

As reports of the tragedy unfolded, our discipline was distinguished by countless stories regarding acts of caring on the larger scale of the collective. Nurses volunteering to coordinate blood donations, provide care to the injured and offer psychospiritual support to countless numbers facing losses beyond comprehension while the community also stepped up to serve.

Police officers, firefighters, rescue teams and those who poured coffee all came together to bring us back to some semblance of balance. Suddenly, we were privileged to witness the cadre of "caregivers" reach a magnitude of unprecedented proportions. We were reminded once again that caring is a human response, a deeply held core instinct in much of society.

Jeanne Achterberg's book, Woman as Healer, observes that healers come in many guises: nurses, social service representatives, teachers and others whose life work supports and serves humanity. Her definition of a healer is "one who walks with another on the path to wholeness and in the process both become more." We are blessed with a wondrous array of healers at this time.

As weeks go by and the meaning of this moment finds a place in our memory, let us ponder several great lessons, gifts of spirit given in this tragic time.

We can be reawakened to what is important in life: family, friends, relationships that matter. We can be reinspired by courageous and committed colleagues who demonstrated to the world the awesome power and strength of nursing in a time of crisis. We can be recommitted to our own personal/professional work of becoming more caring and compassionate as an antidote to the violence, killing and unfortunate attempts to avenge the situation.

We can become more respectful of the countless people in society who also are part of the health team (not all will have a professional degree). Finally, we can become more grateful for all the blessings we experience as citizens of this country.

Freedom regarding thought, attitudes, reactions and contributions to making this a better world is still our choice!

©NurseWeek Publishing