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Providers at Mass General are taking steps to make care more effective, empowering and even enjoyable for patients.
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News5 Minute ReadJan | 26 | 2022
Alex Butler, RN, has worked in the operating rooms of the MGH for more than 10 years – first as a technician and now as a nurse. When he was younger, though, he dreamed of becoming a writer. And while his career ultimately led him to nursing, he never let go of his passion for writing.
“I was originally an English major at UMass Amherst and pursued journalism for a bit,” says the Somerville resident. “My parents met while working at the MGH, so that’s where I went after a somewhat failed internship with Rolling Stone when I was 19.”
Now, Butler continues to write in his free time. He dabbles in several different forms of writing but particularly enjoys the sestina – a form of poetry with rules he describes as puzzle-like.
“I love doing crosswords and solving puzzles, so my poetry emulates that,” he said.
Recently, Butler has been using creative writing to express his feelings about the pandemic and the toll it has taken on health care workers.
“If it’s a really devastating day in the operating room, I find that writing is therapeutic. Even if it’s just keeping a journal, finding a form of writing that you’re comfortable with can be really nice,” he said. “Then, when you share it with people, they’re amazed by it!”
Butler’s work was featured in the McSweeny’s Internet Tendency June 2020 series, “Flattened by the Curve,” which featured the voices of doctors, nurses, health care workers and others on the frontlines of COVID-19. Click here to read his piece.
Click here to read more of Butler’s poetry.
Providers at Mass General are taking steps to make care more effective, empowering and even enjoyable for patients.
Kim Whalen, RN, nursing director at Mass General for Children (MGfC), has worked at the MGH in various roles and departments since 1996.
Support for Education Across the Hospital
Mass General’s educational mission encompasses not only trainees and faculty, but also patients, scholars and the community.
The MGH Learning Laboratory was created in 2009 to integrate clinical simulation as a quality and safety tool across the MGH.
Opportunities to learn can be found in every corner of the hospital – from the MGH Learning Laboratory to the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation.