I Dare You to Drink the Vinegar

To the general public, the word nurse may conjure the image of someone in scrubs, in a hospital setting, moving from one patient to the next. You might think of kindness, efficiency, perhaps a steady hand inserting an IV, of a taking a blood pressure. What’s harder to see, sometimes, is the extraordinary depth beyond a background character on Grey's Anatomy or Juliana Margulies in ER. In many ways nursing is not just a job, but a lens through which many of us experience life, humanity, and the world itself. For those of us who are nurses, the profession often feels like something woven into the very fabric of our being. Is it a “calling”? Maybe. But not in a Florence Nightingale Victorian-era way. That way is a little colonial and martyrish. It’s less about destiny and more about possibility, and strength, the possibility to explore the landscape of human health across a lifetime, in ways that reach far beyond the bedside or the clinic. Nursing is not just a list of tasks or a rol...

Simulated scenarios involving topics like suicide, patient violence, and self-harm can be powerful learning experiences, but they’re also emotionally charged and potentially distressing for learners. When not handled thoughtfully, debriefings after such scenarios can inadvertently re-traumatize participants or create a sense of shame, blame, or withdrawal. That is why integrating trauma-informed approaches into simulation debriefing is not just best practice, it is essential for psychological safety, sustained learning, and building resilient health professionals. Understanding Trauma-Informed Debriefing A trauma-informed approach recognizes that trauma is pervasive and can profoundly impact an individual’s sense of safety, trust, and engagement. Central to trauma-informed debriefing are the principles of safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment. Guiding Principles: Safety : Learners feel physically and emotionally secure. Choice : Participants have agency in deb...