When the Caregiver Needs Care: An ICU Nurse on Stepping Back and Riding 948 Miles

Cardiac surgery ICU nurse Jenn Walsh, RN, knows how to spot the warning signs in her patients. Spotting them in herself was harder. 

On this episode of Nurse Converse, host Melanie Van Sistine, BSN, RN, talks with Jenn about nurse burnout, mental health, and why stepping back from the bedside felt like shame. Jenn shares why she now sees resilience as flexibility, why community matters so much in hard seasons, the mental health questions she ran into on a nursing license application, and The Pursuit, her 948-mile, three-day ride from Maine to Cape Cod for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation.

This episode discusses mental health and suicide prevention. If you're struggling, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).

Skip Ahead:

• 00:36 - Meet Jenn Walsh, RN 
• 02:10 - Why the cardiac surgery ICU 
• 06:14 - Missing the warning signs in yourself 
• 11:41 - The moment she knew she needed a break 
• 14:17 - What night shift does to your body and brain 
• 15:31 - Stepping away and the weight of shame 
• 21:06 - Guilt and the team left behind 
• 25:53 - The Pursuit: 948 miles in three days 
• 32:15 - The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation and licensing questions 
• 35:43 - What's next: Beyond the Bedside 
• 40:33 - Resilience as flexibility 
• 44:23 - Final thoughts

Links:

• Read the companion article on Nurse.org: When the Caregiver Needs Care: An ICU Nurse on Stepping Back and Riding 948 Miles
• Read Jenn's essay: I Thought Stepping Away From Nursing Meant I Didn't Belong
• Support The Pursuit fundraiser
• Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation
• Beyond the Bedside 
• Follow Jenn on Instagram
• Follow Melanie on Instagram
• More podcasts on Nurse Converse

Disclosure: Jenn Walsh is an ambassador for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation and organized an independent fundraiser benefiting the Foundation. She is also developing Beyond the Bedside, a pre-launch company mentioned in this episode.

For more information:

• Full transcript and videos: Nurse.org/podcast
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