Dear Colleagues
“A person becomes a person in the encounter with other persons and in no other way.”
– Source Unknown
According to the Pew Fetzer Report (1994:39), “The central task of health professions education (in nursing, medicine, dentistry, public health, psychology, social work and the allied health professions) must be to help students, faculty and practitioners learn how to form caring, healing relationships with patients, their communities, with each other and with themselves … the knowledge, skills and values necessary for reflective relationships.”
As I transition from BWH, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you, our patients, their families and our communities over these past five and a half years. The gift of witnessing your practice is something I will carry forward with me forever.
Our collective goal, to ensure all who enter our space feel welcomed and cared for, is really about authentic caring relationships: human presence, authentic listening and hearing, and being present for one another in the moment (Watson).
Please see the photos below for some memories from my time at BWH.
I wish you all the best as you continue to advance a caring and inclusive environment for each other and all who enter the doors of any BWH site.
With the highest caring intention,
Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN, FAAN
Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services