The COVID-19 pandemic has been emotionally, physically and mentally challenging, especially for nurses. To help students, faculty and staff find a healthy way to express themselves, West Virginia University School of Nursing Clinical Education Assistant Professor Brad Phillips recently hosted an art project called, “What COVID-19 Means to Me.”
“Nursing is so deeply rooted in the arts,” Phillips said. “With patient care, there are so many different techniques, such as music therapy, pet therapy and art therapy. There are different ways for patients to express how they feel, so I thought it was a good idea to allow nurses to take part as well.”
Dean Tara Hulsey funded the project, offering 30 fully stocked painting supply kits for any student, faculty or staff who wanted to participate. Phillips said the kits were picked up in September and paintings were collected at the end of November. The artwork is still on display on the School of Nursing floor, located in Health Sciences South, Sixth Floor, in the glass display case in front of the Dean’s Suite.
While some paintings are hopeful, many portray the darkness experienced during the pandemic. Many participants told Phillips they found the art project a great practice in reflection. Even those who didn’t participate shared their gratitude in being able to see and relate to others’ perspectives.
“It was nice to be part of something a little bigger than myself, to show creativity in the context of nursing,” said Daiva Daulys, a first semester senior. Her painting illustrates how some people present a façade of being fine even when they’re not. She said living and working as a Resident Assistant in a dorm has been helpful, as she has familiar faces nearby, but she knows many people have felt isolated during the pandemic.
“In clinicals, we learned about compassion fatigue,” Daulys said. “If you can’t take care of yourself first, you can’t take care of other people. It’s important for your mental health to work through things in whatever way you need—through art, reading a book, taking a walk in nature—to make sure your needs are being met so you can better meet the needs of others.”
Daulys said she loves working with kids, so she’s considering a career as a school nurse during the school year and working at a camp over the summer after she graduates. Between her nursing major and her theatre production minor, she said she hopes to create collaborative spaces to meet her patients where they are.
While several students took part in the art project, most of the artwork was completed by faculty members.
“When the project was presented, I chose to pick the things that stood out the most to me personally but with a positive light,” said Joanne Watson, Director of the BSN Programs. “There is so much negativity and fatigue around COVID, but I don't make time to wallow—I am a doer.”
Ever the “doer,” Watson chose to complete two different paintings to represent the two years thus far of the pandemic.
“For 2020, I chose togetherness and labeled it ‘One’ as my theme. The world came together and worked toward a single goal. I personally got to witness the rallying of people to help others, create unity and work toward a common goal in every aspect of my life,” she said. “For 2021, my entire being revolved around vaccinating the masses. I spent every minute working with the various entities to provide able bodies to man the clinics. My family helped, my faculty helped, my students helped. We were all empowered that we were taking care of business in a way we hadn't felt in a long time.”
Phillips, who chairs the School of Nursing Curriculum Committee, said he has been tasked with bringing the foundation of liberal arts back into the nursing curriculum. He and a small working group developed a liberal arts toolbox to give faculty different ideas to incorporate into their teaching.
Phillips hopes to host similar art projects with different themes at least once a year.
“Nursing is an art and a science,” he said. “We focus heavily on the science, because nurses have to safely provide evidence-based care to their patients, but the science component is the tip of the iceberg. Everything below the surface is more of an art, such as emotional management, care and compassion.”
-WVU-
CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu