Elizabeth Ann Robinson, PhD, RN, CNS

The Soul of the Nurse (now a book!)

Exploring the nurse images found in pre-historical archeology, mythology, folklore, literature, art, and popular culture, while considering the history of nursing and archetypal psychology, my research reveals the complexity of the nurse image and what has influenced the nurses’s psyche and public’s psyche about the nurse. This 16 minute film (above) includes short excerpts from my oral dissertation defense. The book, The Soul of the Nurse, is available on Amazon. 

Mythology and Nursing

The nurse is central to healthcare and has always been the most prominent figure in times of vulnerability throughout the life cycle. As a mythologist and nurse, I attempt to recover the complexity and wholeness of the nurse by tracing her origins as far back as Neolithic times. Ancient mythology, folklore, literature, art, and popular culture are explored to reveal the multifaceted characteristics of the nurse and specific images are expanded to deepen the understanding of the nurse archetype. The nurse image holds longing, ambivalence, fear, desire, and vulnerability. Mythology, metaphor, and symbol help to recover the soul of the nurse, revealing new insights, forgotten memories, and devalued capacities. Idealizing or demonizing the nurse is an attempt to break free of her power. The nurse is often portrayed as dangerous and mysterious because she is so close to the archetypal energies of death and eros. The nurse’s body cares for the bodies of others. Nurses are drawn to work that is messy, peculiar, and unpredictable, thus the work of the nurse is soul work. The soul longs for complexity. The nurse craves intensity, merging, and collaboration. Like Baubo, she affirms life while maintaining an understanding of the brutal frankness and wonder of the life cycle. Her true body consciousness is Dionysian. Over time the image of the nurse has been split into one-dimensional disguises ranging from the angelic heroine to the sex object. Without moralizing or dividing the good from the bad, my research investigates the dynamic energy of the nurse archetype to uncover some of what has been lost through splits, repressions, and distortions, revealing why the nurse captivates culture and maintains the status as the most trusted professional in society.

Elizabeth’s Brief Biography

A fourth generation Californian, I was born in central California, to a school teacher/principal mother and a cattle rancher father. I kept busy with physical and social activities until academics caught my interest in college. Good at science, yet searching for the feminine, I found my sisters in nursing school and have remained dedicated to the profession. I write and teach from the perspective of a nurse, a patient, and a mythologist.

Formal Education

  • Baccalaureate in Nursing: Samuel Merritt University and St. Mary’s College (Oakland and Moraga)

  • Master of Science: University of California, San Francisco - Department of Physiological Nursing

  • Doctor of Philosophy: Pacifica Graduate Institute - Mythological Studies with Emphasis in Depth Psychology

Selected Licensure and Certifications

  • RN Registered Nurse and CNS Clinical Nurse Specialist, California Board of Registered Nursing

  • Integral Yoga Institute Basic Hatha Yoga Teacher, San Francisco and Therapeutic Yoga Teacher, Santa Barbara

  • Amherst Writers & Artists Certified Writing Instructor

Professional

  • Staff Nurse IV: Stanford University Medical Center, in the Oncology, Cardiac Surveillance, and Coronary Care Units and served as Interim Clinical Nurse Educator CCU/CSU

  • Administrator: Duke University Medical Center, Heart Center Patient Support Program; Speaker at two of Duke’s Integrating Mind, Body, and Spirit in Medical Practice Conferences; Chair, Duke Heart Center Annual Multidisciplinary Conference and Board Member. Led retreats for patients and staff.

  • Clinical Nurse Specialist, Cardiology and Critical Care: Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City - interventional cardiology and electrophysiology; wrote all cardiology patient education materials and educated patients, staff, and the community, Sutter Medical Center, Santa Rosa - laid groundwork for interventional and cardiovascular surgery programs. Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento - implemented new CV Interventional Unit, smoking cessation program, served on city wide stroke team, established the Healing Garden and the large-sold-out annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium. Led multidisciplinary rounds in cardiac/medical ICU daily.

  • Clinical Policy Writer, Nursing: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital