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A Piece of My Mind
January 26, 2021

Shared Grief

Author Affiliations
  • 1Jefferson College of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
JAMA. 2021;325(4):349-350. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.25000

In the neonatal intensive care unit, acuity is high. As nurses, our shifts are typically 12 hours during which we generally care for only 2 or 3 patients. Nurses are the constants and stay at the bedside with those few infants the entire 12 hours, only leaving to take a quick lunch break or to use the bathroom. A shift can be a chaotic flurry of activities, sounds, and lights. Or it can be somber and quiet, dark, with just the glow of the digital monitors showing each child’s heartbeat and breathing, like a silent news feed passing the time.

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