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Nursing Narratives is a regular feature for UVA School of Nursing students that provides them with a space to express their thoughts.

The 55-word story concept is credited to newspaper founder Steve Moss, who introduced it as a contest in 1987 to encourage mastery of word economy.

Since then, this format has been used from creative writing classes to medical school curriculums to encourage concision, self-reflection, and the processing of human interactions. The 55-word stories in this Nursing Narratives explore many aspects of the nursing profession, representing the never-ending experiences of what it means to be a nurse.

Talk Less, Listen More

By Jack Weisskohl, MSN, RN, FNP-BC (MSN ’17) 

Talk less, listen more. This is a maxim I have learned over my seven years as a nurse practitioner, and one that I try to impart to my students. So often we want to give the right answer or correct obvious problems. Instead, we should ask our patients, “What would youlike to do?”

Weisskohl is a family nurse practitioner at VCU Health in a complex primary care clinic in Richmond, Virginia. He also serves as a clinical faculty member with the Mobile Health and Wellness Program with the VCU School of Nursing.

The Pain Scale as Identity

By Maureen DeSena, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NP-BC

When prompted by a college professor to describe herself, my daughter used the pain scale. This is what living with chronic migraines has done. Almost always in pain, her pain is present but invisible. As her mother and a nurse, I feel helpless and hopeful watching her bravery.

DNP student DeSena is director of nursing professional development at Inova Health System, in Fairfax, Virginia. She graduates in spring 2025.

Caring for Lovey

By Ginger Richardson, MSN, CPNP-PC

Caring for sick, scared children is a dance. We must move quickly, while instilling trust. How do we dance when the partner resists? Care for “Lovey” first—the sweet blanket or animal in their arms—and watch fear change to wide-eyed wonder. When Lovey goes first, and is well, the dance can go on.

Richardson, a clinical instructor at the School and a DNP student, is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a clinical practice at KidMed in Short Pump, Va., who teaches both undergraduate and graduate students.

Stepping Through the Gates 

By Marie Carr, CNL student 

I lived a dozen little lives before stepping through the gates of UVA. All these versions of myself seep into my studies, patient interactions, and hopes for the future. Each clinical experience shapes me even more. The work my heart and soul never finished is expanding even more through nursing. 

Carr, of Charlottesville, is interested in caring for patients with surgical trauma, formerly assisted in Mohs cases in Colorado, and worked in outpatient orthopedics in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Safety Measures 

By Jason Anderson, CNL student

Everything from bed locks to alarms to IV pumps and emergency monitors has a safety measure attached to it. Who knew that my training as a commercial photographer—where I often dealt with multiple cords to hook up lights, power boxes, cameras, laptops and monitors—would make me feel instantly at home at a patient’s bedside?

Originally from Timberville, Va., Anderson is a professional photographer who hopes to work in pediatrics after graduating.

Kindness Costs Nothing 

By Tiffany Griffiths, MSN, FNP-BC

A man I met on the back of a shuttle bus said I looked familiar. It turned out I’d cared for his mother in the ICU. He thanked me through tears for being part of the team that saved her life. This small moment of recognition has been the highest honor of my career.

An Advanced Practice Provider Fellow with UVA Health Primary Care, Griffiths is a DNP student on track to graduate in spring 2025.

Relentless Rhythms 

By Katherine Krievs, fourth-year BSN student

The relentless rhythms of night shifts and trauma bays blend into a universal human experience. I watch nurses radiate resilience, bearing witness to raw vulnerability and fear. Beyond lines, tubes, drains, and injections, I learn that nursing is defined by an unwavering commitment to others’ deeper needs.

A fourth-year BSN student, Krievs will, after graduation, work in the cardiac ICU at University of WIsconsin Health in Madison, WI.

Refuge

By Kam Zahory, CNL student

Caring for my uncle with Alzheimer’s as my family found refuge outside of Afghanistan made me value a tender touch. I’ll never forget the warm smile in my uncle’s eyes upon seeing me. Surely, he recognized my dad's looks and remembered my gentle care. As a nurse, I hope to always provide refuge for my patients.

A full-time nursing student in the Clinical Nurse Leader master's program, Zahory is drawn to critical care and plans to become a CRNA.

Resilience in Practice

By Margie Guillory, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC

As an African American advanced practice nurse, I am challenged in majority-white clinical settings. Navigating implicit biases and microaggressions, I work to establish authority over my professional practice, bridge cultural divides, and advocate for inclusivity. This journey demands resilience, as I balance the emotional toll of underrepresentation with my commitment to providing exceptional care.

Guillory is an oncology clinical nurse specialist and a DNP student who lives in Boston, Ma. 

Bearing Their Trust 

By Pamela Byrnes, DNP, PMHNP-BC

My young patients have so much truth and hurt. Day after day, while amazed at their resilience, I slowly submerge under the weight of their pain. Their darkest memories have become a part of my present, layered in my own story. It’s a privilege and a burden to bear their trust.

Byrnes is a psychiatric nurse practitioner at UVA Health,  providing telemedicine to children and adolescents in Southwest Virginia. 

Someone's Little Baby

By Sherrie Page Guyer, MSN, RN

Rocking my infant daughter to sleep, I reflect on my day caring for homeless veterans. Most blame their homelessness on drugs. Others condemn the economy. Many struggle with mental illness. My daughter’s eyes are heavy with food, warmth, and safety. I think about how each homeless veteran was once somebody’s little baby.

DNP student Guyer, editor of Nursing Narratives, is a psychiatric nurse who recently established an LLC focused on freelance writing. Her publications center on healthcare topics.