By Clay Holderman

I received the attached letter from a front-line nurse and preceptor named Erin.  She sent it to leadership to encourage us and give her perspective on being on the front-line.  “I am a part of history and my attitude can make or break the atmosphere for my team around me.”  What incredible perspective. 

I wanted to share this with my network to start a dialogue.  How can we as health leaders create an environment that produces more Erins?  How can we promote more resilience in our workforce?  How can we help recover so many who have carried unending stress and anxiety, been subjected to trauma and moral injury?  I am interested in any best practices you may be willing to share, either here or in a private connection.  Below is Erin’s letter:

I hope that my "perspective" validates the efforts of our teams and leaders. No one asked to be part of COVID, but we are perhaps the biggest part of it alongside our patients. Here's what's going well for me; your average floor nurse and wannabe manager. Forgive the length and the rambling, I have a lot to say and it's difficult to summarize six months’ worth of thoughts. 

I am part of history and my attitude can make or break the atmosphere for my team around me. I'll have stories to tell about being a front-line worker during a pandemic. My grandchildren will ask me decades from now what it was like. I'll say that I was scared sometimes, but I had an important job to do, and I did it with grace and strength, because my community and team needed me. My perspective is that my positivity and resiliency are my superpowers along with my ability eat my lunch quickly and "Foley ninja" any patient who comes along.

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