Knowing What Must be Done: A Caring and Effective Response to the Ebola Virus

Abstract

“I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear” Rosa Parks. On August 6, 2014, I read an article in The Washington Post written by Susan M. Grant, the chief nurse at Emory Healthcare, titled “I’m the head nurse at Emory. This is whywewanted to bring the Ebola patients to the U.S (Grant, 2014).” I wasmoved by Grant's explanation of the importance of bringing Ebola patients to the U.S to eradicate the virus and how she articulated her moral–ethical value of human care as the foundation for nursing practice. So moved, I incorporated her article into the graduate nursing theory course I am teaching this fall. Ironically, I am writing this piece the very week my graduate nursing students are reading Grant's Washington Post article and reflecting on how she uses nursing theory to guide her practice and how they can use this exemplar to guide their own. What is a caring and effective response to the Ebola virus from the perspective of an advanced practice psychiatric nurse? As advanced practice psychiatric–mental health nurses, we understand fear and the paralyzing effect it has on our ability to respond in the moment. In the case of the Ebola virus, it keeps us concerned about the future. It stifles thinking and actions, creates indecisiveness, and blocks and disrupts learning. Equally concerning is that fear is contagious and readily spreads to those around us. Understanding and moving beyond fear has allowed our healthcare colleagues to travel abroad to treat Ebola in Africa; and closer to home, to care for those with this infectious disease within the United States. How can we as mental health professionals contribute to the eradication of Ebola? Addressing fear, educating ourselves and others, collaborating, providing clear communication based on the most up-to-date science, and grounding ourselves in a nursing theory that guides our practice are all ways to move beyond fear and act. Emotions such as fear have a toxic feel and can cause the release of specific stress hormones resulting in impaired mental functioning, diminished performance, and impaired memory (McCraty, Atkinson, Tomasino, & Bradley, 2009). These energy-draining emotions are costly, inefficient, and negatively impact us as well as those around us. One of the most important steps to providing helpful responses to potential health crisis is to identify unnecessary energy expenditures such