We Put You First , Even at Our Peril
Why ending moral injury in healthcare means refusing to commodify it and how you can help.
Today, another person came to Moral Injury of Healthcare’s private messages with a devastating story of their moral injury. This individual shared a familiar story: Hired to make change, blocked from being effective, and retaliated against for upholding standards and for refusing to violate either laws or their oath. They were unemployed, blackballed, and wondering whether doing what was right might end their career.
We hear such stories every week. We almost never tell them (and never expose details without explicit permission borne of lengthy conversations) because our mission is to end betrayal and that begins with us. We refuse to traffic in the commodification of tragedy, in the stories of careers and lives ruined or lost.
That choice is costly, though. Those stories tug at heartstrings and would surely loosen purse strings. It would be easy to justify sharing those stories as a way to boost our bottom line. They bring in donations, keeping the organization alive and doing good work. But shared indiscriminately, the stories exploit the very people we’re trying to help.
At Moral Injury of Healthcare, we carefully curate and aggregate bits of stories that highlight experiences that may mirror someone else’s, but which they need new language to describe. We share snippets to build this community around change. Around a culture of courage, integrity, collaboration and support. Around the foundational principles of healthcare, which is fundamentally a moral activity of alleviating suffering, that rests on the trust of those seeking care. Around an ethical responsibility to put help-seekers’ welfare above self-interest or obligations to others.
Why do those who are suffering reach out to us? Because we are modeling the care they want to be part of. They trust us. They believe in our integrity and our fierce drive to protect them. They see us living our ethical responsibility to put those seeking care ahead of our self-interest. They see us as a place of hope for different.
And after so much betrayal, what helps those who reach out?
The way we have reframed the conversation about healthcare distress and added moral injury to the conceptualization.
The way we talk about moral injury in an honest, evidence-based, compassionate and relatable way rather than as corporatized marketing patter.
Our clear communication that feeling pressured to transgress your oaths is not about resilience, individual frailty, or a yoga deficiency.
And our commitment to restore the culture of care to one that empowers health professions to uphold their promises as professionals.
This work is critical. We changed the language of distress in healthcare in less than five years. Thousands have renewed hope because of our message, and we are building the blueprint for better.
But that quiet, relentless work is at risk. Since we protect our community and refuse to engage in emotional appeals, fundraising is harder.
So, if our work matters to you, please consider a year-end gift.
Imagine what more we could do – research, training, conferences, etc. - if we built this tiny, mighty team into a powerhouse?