Our Novel Nurses Webinar on 24th September brought poetry and prose about nursing to the fore. Here are two of the poems, read allowed by their writers,. References to where they are published are below. Link
In the twilight zone: between AI and nursing.
Between maze-like corridors of algorithms
And the warm sanctuary of healing rooms,
I walk a path where few dare tread—
A nurse who dares to cross boundaries,
Seeking wisdom in unexpected corners.
In one hand, I hold care's essence pure:
The silent faith in healing pain,
While in the other, algorithms lure
With patterns cold as autumn rain.
"Too technical," my nursing peers declare,
"Too philosophical," Al researchers sigh.
Yet in this twilight space I dare
To hear integration's quiet cry.
For in this space where worlds collide,
Where ones and zeroes meet the soul,
I've learned that healing must reside
In making broken systems whole.
My research speaks in many tongues:
Where data aligns with the pulse of care,
And nursing theory lends its guiding light
To algorithms stark and bare,
Like healing rain on parched terrain.
Each rejection, a door slammed shut in my face,
Echoes of doubt in empty hallways,
Where my ideas, still fragile,
Crumble beneath the weight of the unknown.
Each raised eyebrow, a challenge to my spirit,
Yet, I stood taller, eyes set on what could be— I
In the silence of disbelief, I found my voice,
Like a quiet storm, breaking through the doubt.
CONTACT Claire Su-Yeon Park clairesuyeonpark@gmail.com
Sorted is a poem arising from Bell’s reading of interview transcripts with family care givers, patients and clinical staff involved in using injectible end of life symptom management medicines.
Published in
Madden B, Bowers B. Sorted: an experimental interpretive poetry piece on injectable medications care at the end of life. J Res Nurs. 2025 Sep 2:17449871251357097. doi: 10.1177/17449871251357097. Epub ahead of print. PMCID: PMC12405444.
In the Twilight zone; between AI and nursing is a poem written by Clare in response to being told her was both too technical and too philosophical, relating to her work bringing AI into nursing.
Pubished in. Park, C. S. Y. (2025). In the twilight zone: between AI and nursing. Arts & Health, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2025.2454573
Stories featured in the webinar were.
Gaye Poole Edges of Me.
https://www.gayepoole.co.uk/general-5
Paul Crawford The Wonders of Dr Bent
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/healthsciences/people/paul.crawford
Marion Lynch.Tiny Rainbow’s Birthday.
Sorted.
It’s you and me love, so please
keep me in the loop . . . promise?
You see, I’ve got it sorted now:
have the number – just in case -
(and that nurse is great eh?
I’m sure she’ll keep us safe -
point us the right way -
and she’s only a phone call away).
Wait – I’ll get that love – sit back down.
There. Good. Comfy?
Where was I? Oh yes – that nurse -
she knows exactly what to say, doesn’t she?
And so little delay – unlike the GP
and the hospital and God forbid A & E.
That was a long haul huh ? Telling the story
over and over and having to fight. . .
. . .no. Sit tight. I’ll pass it.
How’s the pain love? OK. But don’t go
all stoic on me. Promise?
Right. So. Let’s keep her on side.
It was sort of scary that last time
chasing your meds all over the place
thank gooodness that chemist was open
and I’d left you alone for two hours by then!
I know. I know you were ok. But I worry
when I have to disappear.
Don’t leave here.
Anyway – those meds are safely tucked in the cupboard now.
We’re sorted. All under control.
Oh yes! I’ll just check the date on them.
Thanks for the reminder.
Oh, OK. Not to worry -
I’ll go fetch the wipes and a fresh bag,
I left them upstairs last night. Sorry.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .there. . . . . . .that’s it I think
. . . . . . . . .easy. . . . . . . .let me just. . . . . . . . .right. . .
now ease back slowly. Damn. Sorry. . . .
I forgot to tape that bit up. Here we go. . . . . .
There. You OK? Sure? Good. . . . .done.
I’ll make a cuppa. Want the telly back on?
Hey love. We’ve got this bit sorted eh?
Ha ha!! Last week – yes, was it? Gosh. Was
it only last week? Crikey. Last week we had no idea!
Now. Well. Just look at us. Quite a team.
Yes. No problem. I’ll turn it off,
you have a sleep. Wait – I’ll get those cushions
sorted. I’ve got bits to do too - need to
get some more dressings and pads.
I’ll be in the back room. OK?
Don’t go anywhere.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .love??
Hello sweetheart. No. Nothing wrong but
. . .well. . . . . . . .you were moaning. . . .
should I call the nurse? Yes. I think so too.
It does seem to be getting worse.
Done. Hopefully not too long.
Here. Hold my hand. Hang on. . . . . . . . .
Oh, hi there. Hello. Oh Jeanie, I’m so glad it’s you. Come in. Tea?
Yes. No, we’ve done that but it’s just not working as it
did last week – and I’m so sorry to bother you
but we – well, I, – was worried and actually
Jeanie – scared. Thank you. Thank you.
Gosh – that’s made me feel better.
I thought I’d done it wrong.
I’m OK. Just tears.
Relief really.
It’s ok.
You awake love?
Sorry love, sorry –no, I can’t hear?
Oh my love, oh my dear -
Yes. We need those meds.
I’ll fetch them now and phone the nurses.
It’s ok. Jeanie’s here.
RESOURCES
I’M FINE PROJECT
The I’m Fine Art Project brings together the statistics on the nursing workforce alongside the stories from the workforce, told through images and accounts of our own experience.
The content outlines the context of the current nursing crisis and opportunities arts offer to address the crisis.
The information on workforce issues frames the project in the world of nursing and reflects the challenges being faced. The selected images of nursing reflect the current COVID-19 pandemic experiences and expertise as well as our past.
The images have been chosen in consultation with nursing colleagues and in consideration of the global role nurses play in social justice, equity, health, and wellbeing.
We hope that when looking at the images and reading the blogs you consider how they could be used in your learning and teaching.
Zoe Take A Break from Paintings in Hospitals: A Story for Arts in Health, and Nurses in Art.
Dr Marion Lynch
In 2025, as the arts in health field stands tall and thriving, it’s humbling to remember its acorn, a charity where I was Trustee for more than eight years, Paintings in Hospitals (PIH).
PIH’s history goes back way before that. Nearly 75 years ago, PIH planted a simple yet revolutionary idea, art belongs not only in galleries but also where healing happens. Today, this belief has grown into a world of art and arts in hospital, guidelines, careers and countless people who know, and can now prove that arts are part of our health.
In 2025, 3/4 of a centuryt later, the hospital environment is very different. Whether in sterile corridors or GP waiting rooms heavy with emotion, art now appears where people seek care, and often PIH has put it there. As the charity now moves forward it is heartening to see how it got here, and how a nurse now features in the story. Zoe Take a Break, a nurse across time, is part of this story.
Ecology of a Movement in Art.
Over decades, PIH has curated and loaned a collection of over 3,000 artworks to hundreds of hospitals, shaping the physical and emotional environment for countless patients and staff. As noted in Woolf (2024), the sector has grown in both scale and stature, and what was once experimental is now evidenced and institutional. The approaches are now evidenced through the work of WHO, supported through the work of National Centre for Creative Health, guided through the work of the National Arts in Hospitals Network, and provided by a multitude of people who harness the arts for health.
PIH has both decorated the walls, and demonstrated what is possible. PIH has helped build the evidence base and shown how the work has measurably improved wellbeing. PIH’s model has empowered others and hospitals now have their own art and art in hospital experts. It has been so amazing that I have included the work as an exemplar case study in the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health, (Chapter 23). This comprehensive international handbook will provide an overview and critical consideration of arts and health research and examples of great practice. PIH is included as great practice
Beyond Walls: Art for Every Life Stage
This is because PIH’s reach now extends far beyond hospital walls, into libraries, homes, and public spaces offering visual connection where it is needed most. Uniquely inclusive, the PIH collection showcases more women artists than any other collection of a similar size in the UK. The collection is evidence based for inculacating wellbeing with a multitude of nature images, proven to soothe and support recovery.
PIH is even more than hanging nature pictures that make people feel better. By choosing art that reflects people and their experiences, PIH offers work that supports our health and our dignity. This is seen through one particular picture that means a lot to me and why I am telling you this story now.
I am a nurse and had been in other roles in public health and in education, and as with many I was called back to clincial care in April 2020 during COVID pandemic. As COVID took hold of the health system and health workers stepped up, I was called into work as part of the education team at the Nightingale Hospital London. The image of Zoe Take a Break also came from that 2020 time but in a different London hospital. And the resource I developed for nurse wellbeing using Zoe image developed to address the needs I saw whilst I was in scrubs too. Zoe, Take a Break became a way for nurses to look after themselves and take a break too.
Case Study: Zoe, Take a Break.
Zoe Take a Break is a photographic portrait gifted to PIH by artist Maisie Broadhead. The image, reminiscent of grand portraiture, Old Masters features Maisie’s twin sister Zoe a nurse at Whittington Hospita. The image is of Zoe in during a rare moment of rest amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
Zoe Take a Break became part of an educational intervention I developed addressing post-pandemic moral distress in nursing. Participants during the self care session said simply, “this is me.” This vicarious experience of seeing oneself in a picture enabled people to compare their own image to Zoe and start to speak of the issues they faced. This worked led to the development of further resources including the I’m Fine Project, still hosted on the PIH website too.
Why does this matter?
“Zoe, a nurse who, like many others, has been tirelessly working during and after the COVID- 19 pandemic, finds a moment of rest from the hectic pace of her daily work. The image echoes the visual language of grand portraits from history, adding a layer of dignity and significance to this ordinary scene.”
Traditionally, nurses have been depicted in art as supporting characters or in service to others, rarely showcased as individuals in their own right. However, this image presents Zoë as the focal point, bringing her presence and serenity to the forefront. Through her art, Maisie aims to make her twin sister Zoe visible, acknowledging her as an A&E nurse at the Whittington Hospital in London.”
Maisie Broadhead, the photographer is a London-based artist. Her multi-disciplinary work often re-interprets aesthetics from art history genres, drawing links between narratives past and present.
From Visibility to Voice: Gender Equity in Global Health
Zoe Take a Break also gained global recognition in the Workplaces Worse for Women Global Health 5050 (2023) report. Art met policy, moving senior leaders, not just with data, but with empathy. Feedback from international senior policy leaders at the launch of the report was that the art brough the statistics to life.
You can find her here.
https://global5050.org/2023-report/
The image remains part of Global Health 50/50’s exhibition. Zoe Take a Break continues to be part of the Global Health 50/50 on line exhibition and features as one of 254 images in the global health 5050 online exhibition highlighting PiH work in gender equality and helping the work of nurses be seen.
You can find her here in the collection.
https://thisisgender.global5050.org/collection/
Zoe now sits in the office of the Foundation for Nursing Studies on loan from PIH. However she is currently in The Art of Nursing at the Royal College of Nursing in (June-December 2025) and will feature in a planned exhibition at Kengsington Palace in May 2026 (watch this space!)
The Evolution of the I’m Fine Resource for Nurse Wellbeing.
Zoe led to more that a picture, she helped me see that more was needed to support nurses. I was a Trustee with PIH during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was keen to include arts in the recovery phase an support the nurses who had given up so much and were not yet recovered or recognised.
PIH in partnership with the Burdett Trust developed this resource to provide information and images that help heal, making art a part of that healing process. Bringing together statistics, policies, and educational practices, the project supports recovery for the profession, organisations, and individuals.
The Evolution of Creative Health and Arts for Health.
As outlined in the Creative Health Review arts and health has grown into interwoven initiatives. PIH, as one of its oldest and strongest organisation has helped me to use the arts in health and to get nurses seen. I am no longert a Trustee, but the impact of that role on me and on nursing is evident in the resources and the images seen.
The webinars ArtofNursing came from the conversations with the Board, and the staff from PiH have featured in two of these webinars.
1 In Real Partnership Through Art the work of the team feature 35 minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_hxu_nntk
2 In the Art of Nursing Silenced Voices Dr Val Huet (PhD) focuses on the evaluation of the Paintings in Hospitals programme Art meets Book in libraries in London with people for whom English is a second language in the webinar
May 22nd on line 13.00 – 14.00 Silenced Voices
A webinar in November 2025 on Equality will feature art from Paula Rego, one of her pictures is held by PiH. Research from PIH volunteers has already brough this work to life to rnable artists and nurses to show the issues facing women in health today. Join us on Thursday 13th November 2025
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-nursing-gender-inequality-tickets-1360237048629
Legacy in Motion
From healing corridors to global policy briefings, PIH has woven art into the fabric of health. As I leave the board and see the transition in charities across health and the arts I see opportunities for arts in health everywhere. This Art of Nursing work brings these opportunities to others too.
