Narrative Nursing - What Does It Mean to Be a Professional Nurse: Stories from the Field

A nursing narrative note is a type of nursing documentation used to provide clear, detailed information about the patient. A narrative note is written in paragraph form and tells a story, if you will, about the patient, the care he is receiving, response to treatment, and any interventions or education provided.

Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, FNAP, FAANP(H) is Director of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy and Elizabeth Brooks Ford Professor of Nursing, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland Ohio where she was Dean from 1982 through 1997. She is also a Distinguished University Professor at CWRU. She earned a BSN (Georgetown University), an MS in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing (The Ohio State University), a PhD in Nursing (New York University), and an MBA (CWRU). In 1990, Dr. Fitzpatrick received an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Humane Letters, from Georgetown University. In 2011 she received an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Humane Letters, from the Frontier University of Nursing, and in 2020 she was appointed a Distinguished University Professor at CWRU.

Dr. Fitzpatrick is widely published in nursing and healthcare literature with over 400 publications, including more than 85 books. She has received the AJN Book of the Year Award 22 times. She served as co-editor of the Annual Review of Nursing Research series, vols. 1-26. She is editor of the classic Encyclopedia of Nursing Research, now in its 4th edition, and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Nursing Education. In 2021, with Dr. Mary Beth Modic, she published a children’s book titled Luminaries of the Past: Stories of Fifty Extraordinary Nurses.

Peter Stoffan, DNP, MPA, RN, CCRN, NEA-BC, CPXP is a Nurse Leader currently residing in the New York City Greater Metro Area. Prior to Nursing, Peter’s first degree is from Indiana University in Musical Theatre. After performing for multiple years in New York City and around the country, he decided to go back to school for Nursing at New York University. Peter loves the leadership role both on and off stage and enjoys blending the two dynamic talents in healthcare and leadership. After earning a Master in Public Administration degree from New York University, he earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. His scholarly work focuses on the connection between hospital and environmental attributes and the health of nurse leaders.

Presently, he is the Magnet Program Director for NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Prior to serving as a Magnet Program Director, Dr. Stoffan was the Corporate Director of Human Experience for Hackensack Meridian Health. Peter is the column editor of the Leadership Perspectives column for the Gastroenterology Nursing journal. Peter is also a published author of Tommy the Nurse - a children’s book that highlights nursing and the importance of following our own passions. Additionally, Dr. Stoffan has articles published with American Nurse Journal and is a contributing author for a book written by Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick and Dr. Mary Beth Modic titled, Luminaries of the Past: Stories of Fifty Extraordinary Nurses.