On March 30th, the Nursing Club and Narrative Upper-Level Seminar hosted a Zoom event with nurse Lisa Wolf. Lisa gave a talk on her journey through her career with nursing and her creative writing. All of the students and faculty asked Wolf multiple questions about her life and career journey.

The first part of the presentation was mostly about her background and how her life led her to nursing. Wolf started having an interest in the field at a young age when she joined the “Explorer’s Club” and followed a doctor for a day. This made her realize the lack of direct connection between a doctor and a patient. 

She said, “They talk to the board”. 

Later she received undergraduate degrees in anthropology and English at Amherst College. She then went on to receive a master’s degree in creative writing at Emerson University as well as a Ph.D. in Nursing.

Wolf is a research-based nurse and has done research about multiple topics over the years. She started by studying AIDS and testosterone levels and diabetes in Long Island New York. She now does her work in the ICU. 

She is also a director of the Emergency Nursing Research for the Emergency Nurses Association, a national organization based out of Illinois, and her current focus is on the impact of nursing environments on nursing and patient outcomes.

A point that was brought up was about how her master’s in creative writing has been intertwined with her nursing career. She noted that her writing requires her to imagine what her patients are going through to be empathetic and connect with them. Her goal is to really push this next generation of nurses to be open with their patients and relate to them.

She also explained that a lot of nurses have been known to numb their feelings and cope in unhealthy ways. She recommended all the nursing students unpack their emotions in healthy ways, like what she does with running and fencing.

Wolf also brought up a phrase that stood out to me called “Define Act”. This phrase means that people in this field need to always work to uncover a bigger truth to push for a change. For example, if someone is saying you’re wrong in a situation, provide a counter-narrative for that problem. This could apply to more than just nursing; it can be utilized in daily life as well.

Overall, this event was extremely helpful for nursing students and faculty and their future nursing careers. It was also useful for future writers to display that creative writing matters in every profession.