Healers vs Harmers: How Sacred Vocation Can Help

I remember the day I asked myself "Why on earth did I choose healthcare for my career?! Who does this work and stays sane?!"

I was a brand new nurse manager of a unit that had to change its patient population specialty in a very short time. All but 2 of my core nurses left to follow their patients into their new setting.

I was thrown into an extremely complex and difficult situation without support or guidance.

I felt very very alone.

I had a small child at home and was trying to complete my MSN at the same time. "This job is the last thing I need right now" was my daily mantra.

I knew my internal sense of meaning, calling, passion for nursing was dying. And I was grieving the loss of it.

I don't remember how I learned about Sacred Vocation that week, but it came across my email as an opportunity to participate in the 5 sessions with my peers. I was desperate, so I signed up not knowing what to expect.

In our first session, we were asked to write our own obituaries. "This is unbelievable! Why would they ask us to do that? It's so morbid!" But I wrote mine anyway. And I gained a whole new perspective from that very first exercise: this is what I want to be remembered for. And my professional impact was on that list.

Then the next sessions helped us reflect on our interactions at work...both as healers and harmers. It was hard to admit we had been a harmer in our professional lives, but all of us have at one time or another.

We built coping tips that were very real and relevant to our daily work lives. We realized that we had a choice and control over our interactions. And that choosing healing interactions drove our sense of meaning at work.

I was so floored by how impactful these sessions were. I had been a cynic from the beginning but our wonderful Sacred Vocation facilitator knew what she was doing. She led us down a winding road of self awareness and story sharing that bonded us as a group. I did not feel so alone. And I had hope again for the first time.

These were not "kumbaya" sessions. They were hard-hitting impactful conversations amongst traumatized healthcare workers. Having just the one hour each session became like a respite to reconnect with our calling.

This experience saved my professional life. I would have walked away all together without it.

So I brought the program with me to my next two healthcare systems. I learned from the creators of the program at UT Health in Austin. We rolled the program out to dozens of healthcare leaders and workers. And although I am no longer with those organizations, Sacred Vocation continues there.

Why? Because we have all lost our internal passion for healthcare at one point or another. ESPECIALLY post pandemic. We all need the reconnection, the reflection, building relationships and inspiration. I have made it part of my full time work to offer this program to all of you because believe me, we all need it.

I am so grateful to that first Sacred Vocation experience. Thank you UT Health, Chick Deegan and all of my peers who took a chance on it and found it as impactful as I have.

If you are interested in reconnecting with your sense of purpose, healing or passion at work, contact me and we can make sure your teams benefit from this too. They are worth it.