Janelle LB Macintosh, RN, PhD

Dr. Macintosh is genuinely incredible. While in her lecture on end-of-life care for children, I couldn’t help but think of all the children I saw at the end of their life this summer while working in the PICU at Primary Children’s Hospital. While working there, I was told to stay unattached and emotionally uninvolved. That did not sit quite right with me. I was also not sure how to balance the sadness without being overcome. During a class break, I talked to Dr. Macintosh. She said something that hit me hard. She told me to care and feel and that it is impossible not to show compassion. That lecture, she cried. She showed us that it is good to recognize our feelings. Dr. Macintosh taught us how she showed compassion daily as a nurse, for her patients and families, and now as a teacher for her students.