What Happened to Our Circulating Nurse?: Exploring Burnout Through Art and Surrealism

This book features 25 surgical-themed paintings from operating room nurse Michelle Ogorzalek, along with descriptions of the emotional journey behind each piece. With insights not shared on social media, What Happened to Our Circulating Nurse? explores the burdens and inherent sadness of caring for sick human beings.
The struggles depicted in her works have become commonplace in healthcare; chronic understaffing, frequent turnover, micromanagement, coupled with the heaviness of nursing work, moral injury, and PTSD in nurses (before COVID).
With a bit of bite, humor, and gore, Michelle takes us down the rabbit hole of her nightmares and daydreams, exploring nurse bullying, workplace violence, and the morbidity of medicine.