Donna Frost

Chapter 5 140 Floortje: I’ve put a star there, the painted star, overlapping your part a little, Donna. Did you mind? You saw me ask? I thought you nodded? Donna: I did, I nodded. It’s fine – interesting in fact. What can you tell us about it? Floortje: Well, your picture there is a spiral figure. Andwe talked last time about a spirally idea. Professional artistry has to do with zooming in and zooming out. And the spiral can go both ways, and it is never ending. […] And then I see that again today, and that is okay. But today, well, I wanted to add another perspective. Because as we were listening just then, I listened to the presentations and I got a different idea. Sometimes it [professional artistry] might go backwards and forwards, but in reality, in practice, it is ending. It does stop, it has a focus. It happens in that particular time with the patient or the client. So it seems to me as if it is more like a star, or a light. There are different points that need to be seen and identified and as a nurse you have to act on them. The star brings light, I show that there [pointing to bright centre of the star ] and also the different things that need to have attention [the points of the star]. Maybe next time it is all different things [that the nurse focuses on]. But now, or then, at that time in any case, it is these things. Jane: And do you mean that the nurse is the star? The nurse brings the light in with her? Floortje: Kind of. Yes. No, not really. Because the star could be different each time. The professional artistry [of the nurse] means the star can happen. Perhaps if the nurse didn’t have professional artistry there would be no light, just the points. Like a focus, but on the wrong things. Or there WOULD be light, but not enough focus. Do you see what I mean? So there is focus, and light, and it can change. Donna: And it [the star] ‘comes into being’ within the encounter, the particular encounter? Floortje: Yes. The possibility is there, that ‘comes in’ with the nurse. But it all comes together there, in the time with the patient. With the resident. So it becomes sharp, focused, useful. […] Donna: And the contrast with the spiral?