Healing the Moral Wounds of the Pandemic

The CVOID-19 pandemic has left physical, psychological and moral wounds for nurses who have sacrificed so much to provide care to patients and their families. Some healthcare workers describe symptoms similar to PTSD: having panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, unable to eat or eating too much, exhaustion, tearful, and reliving the tragedies they have witnessed. There is a name for this, which also brings the good news that it can be relieved. My guest in this important episode is Dr. Cynda Hylton Rushton, the Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the School of Nursing, and co-chairs the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Ethics Committee and Consultation Service. Together, we will explore the sources of moral suffering experienced by nurses and offer a roadmap for restoring integrity by cultivating moral resilience. Dr. Rushton is the perfect person to talk with us about the symptoms of this engulfing experience and how to find our way out of the cloud.