Marie Manthey’s Nursing Salon

A Salon Start-up in Portland, Oregon September 13, 2009

Last night another Nursing Salon was started in another state!  This one was in the state of Oregon, at the home Louise Shores, a leader in nursing education and former executive in ANA.  I was invited to attend and help with the process of this inaugural Salon. In the beautiful setting of her yard and deck, a group of about 18 people from various walks of nursing life and from young nurses to “seniors” again experienced the impact of coming together to talk to each other about nursing . We again experienced an incredible sense of oneness. This is one of the most frequent outcomes of a Salon.

The growth of Salons is  so encouraging. No matter what individuals bring to discuss during the check-in, the discussion itself always seems to result in a feeling of  connectedness among the participants and with the values and strengths of our profession. Job differences, education level differences, age differences, status differences … all seem to melt away and we connect in a very positive way. One of the first check-out comments came from a university faculty member who said she had been feeling pessimistic about nursing when she arrived and was now optimistic. That surge of positive energy bodes well for her and for her students.

I continue to believe that the secret to their success is in part due to the fact that Salons are not connected to any agency or institution.   The reality of gathering in homes to just talk about nursing seems to free us to reach deep into ourselves for the meaning of our work free of role-based constraints.