Healing from Within: 90 Day Challenge for Adult Survivor of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Nursing is a challenging, rewarding, frustrating, joyful, and painful profession. Professional nursing has been all of these things and more for me over the past thirty-plus years. However, in our current healthcare climate I have serious concerns for our nation’s nurses. Our nurses are at risk emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and healthcare is hemorrhaging qualified caring individuals on a daily basis. This mass exodus is leading many to wonder, who will take care of us? Healthcare providers often come from homes marred by adverse childhood experiences (ACE).ACE’s include child abuse that falls into three different categories: 1) Abuse: emotional, physical, and sexual, 2) Neglect: physical and emotional, and 3) Family Dysfunction: incarcerated relative, parental divorce, mother treated violently, mental illness, and substance abuse. Gilgoff, et al., (2020) explained that in adulthood, ACEs are linked to mental illness, substance abuse problems, chronic health problems, and can negatively impact job opportunities, education, and earning potential. Read more