When a Cancer Nurse Becomes a Cancer Patient | Theresa Brown, PhD, RN

The Doctor's Art

When professor of English literature Theresa Brown, PhD, BSN, RN decided to become an oncology nurse, she suddenly found herself juggling seemingly-impossible patient expectations. And when she later was diagnosed with breast cancer herself, she was forced to confront the paradoxes of a healthcare system that demands so much of its practitioners yet provides insufficient support for them. She recounts these revelations in her recent book, Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, Theresa is also the author of several bestselling books detailing her experiences helping patients through some of the most devastating moments in their lives. Over the course of our conversation, Theresa shares her unusual journey to nursing, the daily struggles she encounters caring for the sickest patients in the hospital, and what her experiences as a cancer patient have taught her about finding solace in the midst of our imperfect healthcare system.

In this episode, you will hear about:

• Theresa’s path from English professor to oncology nurse - 2:07
• What “whole person care” means to Theresa - 5:54
• A day in the life of an oncology nurse - 11:26
• How Theresa managed the emotional stress of working with seriously ill patients in such a prolonged and often intimate way - 18:47
• The high risk of moral injury in the nursing profession - 34:34
• Theresa’s experiences when the tables were turned and she became a cancer patient herself - 38:53
• Theresa’s practical advice for leading with kindness with patients - 44:43

Theresa Brown is the author of several books about her experiences in nursing, including:

The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives (2016) and Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between(2011).

You can follow Theresa Brown, RN on Twitter @TheresaBrown.

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