On Jan. 8, the film “NURSE: Empathy Heals” premiered at the ETSU Martin Center. The film is the culmination of the Nurse Narratives Initiative, a collaborative effort of ETSU College of Nursing, Ballad Health, the Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement and StoryCollab. The initiative has worked with nurses, nursing students, faculty and patients to tell their stories through a series of reflective workshops.

Executive Director of StoryCollab Allison Myers said the organization, which is a platform of the ETSU Research Corporation, supports participatory media. In participatory media, StoryCollab works to help individuals and communities tell their stories and focuses on building processes that equip participants to share their own experience the way they feel is best. The storytellers own the rights to their stories, helping establish authenticity and autonomy with respect to their stories.

“NURSE: Empathy Heals” documents a particular workshop from the initiative. Directed by an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, the documentary uses a narrative style to tell the often-untold story of nurses.

“It’s important that people see nurses as human,” Myers said.

Contributed/ETSU

She describes the film as a “celebration” of nurses, which both informs the community and helps nurses see themselves and reflect on the work they do.

“Nurses don’t often get a chance to reflect or share stories,” Myers said. “I hope the film will help them feel less alone and cultivate respect and gratitude for the nurses.”

The storyteller-focused approach of StoryCollab ensures the film accurately portrays the nurses’ stories and promotes advocacy and education.

One of the most exciting things about the Nurse Narratives Initiative is its promotion of empathy, the effects of which are seen in the ETSU College of Nursing’s curriculum. Myers explains that in many nursing programs, there is a focus on technical skills, with soft skills like empathy, compassion and reflection taking a backseat. There’s evidence-based research, however, that integrating empathy training in nursing programs leads to benefits for both patients and nurses. Not only did patients experience improved mental health, but there is also evidence pointing to shorter hospital stays, better recovery, lowered blood pressure and other physical benefits.

Contributed/ETSU

For nurses, empathy training helps them to reflect on their “why,” improve their mental health and develop a reflective process as part of their routine. Currently, ETSU’s College of Nursing is working to integrate empathy training into its existing nursing courses, setting future nurses up for success when they graduate.

“NURSE: Empathy Heals” is an example of how storytelling can shape communities of understanding, empathy and well-being. The Tennessee Center for Nursing Advancement hopes to release the film and use it for educational purposes both in and out of classrooms.

Myers describes the film as “emotionally evocative,” calling to mind the powerful stories shared and the experience of telling them.

“We are very proud of the ETSU College of Nursing for their innovation and dedication to cultivating the next generation of skilled, highly empathic and compassionate nurses,” Myers said.

The full collection of digital stories from the Initiative can be found here: https:/youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS5C94E6tU04kjd8j7byR3r95l27QdIKL.

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