title: Lessons learned: from the other side of the nurse-patient/family relationship.
abstract: I have been a visiting nurse for more than 30 years. During that time, I have been a case manager, a supervisor, a team manager, and a wound ostomy continence specialist (WOCN). I have had all kinds of patients, including many seriously ill cancer patients. My colleagues consider me a knowledgeable, compassionate, and committed nurse. You would think I would be well prepared when serious illness came knocking on my door. I wasn't.
authors.affiliation: Inova VNA Home Health and Inova Alexandria Hospital, Alexandria, VA, USA. pam@wagner-cox.com
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wagner-Cox
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002388:Catastrophic Illness; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D010934:Planning Techniques; D012944:Social Support