Episode 3

Soul Repair: After Moral Injury is hosted by Dr. Susan Diamond and Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock. And is produced by Studio D Podcast Production.

Episode 3: When Patients Seem Like Enemies: The Moral Struggles of Healthcare Workers

Four healthcare professionals join hosts Rita and Susan to tell their stories of moral injury and how they coped with trying to save lives in dangerous conditions while worrying about themselves and those they love. With rare and moving honesty, they speak of how crushing it was to survive and cope with feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, desperation, emptiness, grief, outrage, exhaustion, and a loss of faith. They also share what enabled them to keep offering the best care they could and to recover.

Hosts:

Rev. Rita Nakashima Brock, Ph.D., is Senior Vice President for Moral Injury Programs at Volunteers of America (VOA) and a Commissioned Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Capital Region. She is a former professor and academic administrator and co- author of Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury After War. An online, one-hour moral distress-relief program at VOA is open to the public at www.voa.org/rest.

Rev. Susan Ward Diamond, D.Min., is Lead Pastor of Florence Christian Church, Florence, KY, and was ordained as a pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1990. She has served on a number of boards and leadership roles in the denomination, including moderator of the church. She is author of The Daily Grind:  GOD with Your Coffee. Her daily blog, “Thoughts for the Day,” can be found at pastorsusantftd.wordpress.com.

Guests:

Ms. Jennifer Clark, Physician’s Assistant and U.S. Air Force combat veteran

Ms. Melanie Pass Park, Emergency Room Nurse Administrator

Ms. Joanne Samuels, Thoracic Intensive Care Nurse

Ms. Stephanie Tewes, Physical Therapist

Resources:

Hidaya Aliouche, "Moral Injury in Healthcare." News-Medical. 06 March 2023.

Jennifer Clark, 166 Days: My Journey Through the Darkness, Outskirts Press, 2013.

For online Moral Distress Relief: www.voa.org/rest or www.rest4firstresponders.com.

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Volunteers of America

If Uncovering Moral Injury has piqued your interest, head over to Volunteers of America at voa.org/moralinjury. There you’ll find resources, conferences and events as well as other ways to connect with the Shay Moral Injury Center.

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