Blog

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

Have you ever gone tent camping? Years ago, I took a solo camping trip to prove to myself I was an independent woman who could pitch my own tent and make my own way. The north Georgia state park where I spent my first night was virtually deserted. No other campers were enjoying the cool October evening and my resolve began to waver.  What was I doing out here alone in my brothers’ pup tent protected only with the pocket knife my father had given me before I left?

Darkness encircled me like a blanket thrown over my head. Every sound was amplified, and fear began to creep in. Then that magical moment happened when I struck a single match to ignite my merger campfire, and the darkness was at bay. A single match had made the difference between my fear of being alone in the woods and the confidence of seeing beyond my immediate surroundings.

Each of us has the opportunity to be a single flame to keep the darkness at bay. Every great movement started...

I’ve had a very busy summer consulting with hospices all across the US. In talking with administrators about their biggest worries, I heard one alarm sounded everywhere I went: Hospice is in the grip of a critical nursing shortage. Certainly, in some areas the problem is greater than in others, but make no mistake; recruiting the ideal experienced, compassionate, smart, flexible and dedicated hospice nurse (or social worker, for that matter) is more challenging by the day. As a board member of the University of Florida College of Nursing’s Alumni Council, I can tell you that the school cannot afford to admit more than 120 new undergraduates/year. The University of Delaware College of Nursing admits 136. Numbers like these will not begin to meet the burgeoning needs of the Baby Boomer generation as they age.

And it’s not just that new nurses aren’t entering the field at the rate we need them to; we’re losing those we have, nurses who are leaving the...