Madelyn Pearson

Dear Colleagues,

Self-care is frequently top-of-mind when it comes to setting New Year’s resolutions. Many of us would like to spend more time focusing on wellness, whether it’s eating healthfully, making time for exercise, meditating or practicing another form of self-care.

Evidence shows that it’s important for those in the caring professions to prioritize self-care so that we can best care for others. We are fortunate to have staff who are experts in this area, and I encourage you to read the suggestions that Pam Cormier, MSN, RN, caritas coach and professional development manager, has shared in this issue of Heart & Science.

I believe that self-care for staff is especially important in a place like the Brigham. The caring relationships and connections that our nurses, Patient Care Services staff and interprofessional colleagues establish with patients and families are long-lasting. The remembrance service that the Medical Intensive Care Unit and other units hold for families of patients who pass away in the hospital is one example of this. These meaningful gatherings underscore the way that our staff continue to care for and hold these families in their hearts and thoughts even after they have left the hospital.

As we look ahead to 2019, the leadership team is intensely focused on enhancing our hospital culture so that the Brigham is an even more supportive place for staff. Guided by the results of the Brigham Experience: Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Assessment that you completed last summer, we are creating action plans that will help us foster an even more transparent, diverse, inclusive and innovative culture.

Thank you for your feedback and engagement in moving this work forward.

With warm regards,

Madelyn Pearson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services