Dear Esteemed Nurses,
At the UnCenter: A Center for Empathy without Borders, we recognize the invaluable contributions nurses make every day, often under extremely challenging circumstances. As we strive to deepen understanding and compassion in our community, we are trusting in the transformative power of personal narratives.
This coming spring, we are curating an Empathy Lab dedicated to amplifying the voices of nurses of color and nurses from diverse cultural backgrounds and countries, and we are seeking stories to share with lab participants, made up of members of our college community and, hopefully, far beyond. The narratives we collect, both in English and in Spanish, will be featured in our in-person lab launching February 12th, 2024, which will be held on campus, but will also be accessible to a wider audience via our new Empathy Lab website. All stories will be collected anonymously to ensure the privacy of contributors.
Our project has received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Wilson College, which means it has been thoroughly reviewed and deemed to adhere to ethical standards for the protection and welfare of participants contributing narratives to our Empathy Lab. For purposes of ethical practice, safety, and confidentiality of all involved, nurses contributing narratives must not include any identifiable information in the stories you submit. Narratives we receive containing identifiable information will be discarded.
If you are a nurse of color, an international nurse, or a nurse with a multicultural background, and you have faced discrimination or xenophobia in your workplace because of your race, ethnicity, nationality, or accent, we invite you to share your story with us and to be a part of what we hope will be a transformative experience—for nurse contributors and lab participants alike (and of course any nurse contributing stories is also welcome to participate in the lab!)
The benefits of sharing your story:
- Your story will shed light on often-unseen experiences and realities of racism and xenophobia in healthcare, providing insight and fostering empathy among colleagues and the broader community.
- Sharing stories allows us to reclaim power over situations in which we may have felt powerless. In our empathy lab, nurse contributors will have a safe platform to be heard and acknowledged.
- The act of storytelling can be therapeutic and help process experiences and contribute to healing.
- Personal stories can be powerful catalysts for organizational and systemic change. They can influence policy, training, and culture within healthcare institutions.
- Sharing experiences can help other nurses who have faced similar challenges feel less isolated and more supported, building a sense of community.
- By raising awareness about the impacts of racism and xenophobia, nurses contribute to a more equitable healthcare environment, which can lead to improved patient care outcomes and a more empathetic and just healthcare system.
Your story will be handled with utmost sensitivity and respect. Participants in the lab (both in-person and online) will engage with a toolkit we have assembled to guide listeners in empathic listening and thoughtful, supportive response.
Every narrative, every voice, and every experience matters. Our goal through this lab is to illuminate the invisible experiences of many nurses, emphasizing the challenges faced with patients, but also with coworkers and superiors. By sharing your story, you not only contribute to a greater understanding but also pave the way for positive change in the healthcare community.
To submit your story, please click here. Should you have any questions or require support, please email us at centerforempathy@gmail.com. Please also check out our website theuncenter.com to learn more about this project.
Thank you for considering this invitation. Your courage and voice will make a difference.
With deepest respect and gratitude,
The Empathy Team
THE UNCENTER 