Grieving on the Job: Stories from Healthcare Providers

Grief, defined as the experience of a significant loss, is a common experience in healthcare, not just for patients and their loved ones but also for healthcare professionals. In this symposium, we have gathered stories from professionals involved in patient care who report their experiences of grief on the job. Our authors come from the disciplines of medicine, nursing, social work, and chaplaincy. They represent a range of experiences, from students early in their training to experienced clinicians looking back on careers in the healing professions. Many report on what helped them integrate their grief experiences into professional growth. Many also acknowledge that struggle for integration is ongoing. We also have four expert commentaries on these narratives provided by Heidi Walsh (ethics and narratives), Tai Mendenhall (psychology), Debra Oliver (social work), and Erin Bakanas (hospice and palliative medicine).