“On the morning of March 16th 2020, I began receiving the calls…”
Nurses across all specialties were fearful — for themselves, their families, their patients and the community at large. These nurses were former students, ICU colleagues, and friends, calling in need of a psychologically safe space outside of the workplace to express emotions without fear of judgement or repercussion.
15 days after a global pandemic was declared, one by one, I began Debriefing the Front Lines.
I kept going until alone was no longer enough.
I invite you to meet our team.
- Tara Kosmas, Founding Executive Director
Mission
Provide structured debriefing of single incident and cumulative care taking trauma, emotional wellness offerings, sobriety support and continuing education to individual nurses and systems.
Vision
We unite nurses and alleviate suffering through the sharing of personal stories and experiences.
Debriefing the Front Lines influences and activates the power of commUNITY.
We fuel efforts that address the need for psychological first aid and emotional wellness. We help nurses find their voice, empower them to speak their needs.
Together, we are redefining the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the modern nurse.
We are witnessing a unique and complex occupational trauma that is affecting the collective Nursing profession.
The COVID-19 pandemic inadvertently brought to public light the struggles, ethical dilemmas and ongoing challenge of providing dignified, quality patient care within our healthcare systems.
96% of nurses report experiencing at least one symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and nearly 21% meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of PTSD.
This trauma is having an immediate and profound effect.
Every day, nurses are living, working and breathing in the aftermath of tragedy. Nurses of all specialties and in all roles are
as if they are being asked to so an impossible job
feeling the weight of budget cuts and inadequate staffing
navigating the physical, emotional and spiritual affects of cumulative caretaking trauma
feel soul tired, a compassion fatigue that sleep cannot remedy
doing their best to care for themselves while simultaneously caring for others
all the while trudging through the intense emotions felt by the collective profession.
Nursing roles, titles and personal beliefs may vary however one fundamental truth remains, nurses are in need of a psychologically safe space to express emotion without judgement and repercussion.
Alone is no longer enough.
