Devon Berry is a nurse, educator and leader who most recently served as the Executive Associate Dean for Oregon Health & Science University. He is also committed to helping those who work in academic nursing and other nursing environments grow in their health as leaders. Dr. Berry has found that the intentional engagement in manual activity can relax one’s mind, provide periods of exercise, and create practical benefit for others.
As an executive leader, Devon Berry, RN, PhD, regularly prioritizes mundane manual activity. These activities include tasks such as mowing the lawn, washing the dishes (by hand!), hand mopping the floors, weeding the garden, cleaning the garage, folding laundry, making the bed, cleaning windows, and hand-washing his children’s always dirty shoes. As a nurse and an organizational leader, Devon Berry recognizes that the brain benefits from breaks. When engaged in activity that keeps the hands and the body busy, his mind is helpfully distracted from the more cerebral work that many nursing leaders are continually preoccupied with.
Serving as a dean, director, manager, supervisor, or other nursing leader, says Devon Berry, can place great demands on the mind which may, at times, be unrelenting and hard to “turn off” at the end of the work day. Intentionally engaging in distracting activity that requires the mind to re-focus provides a much needed escape. Dr. Berry often finds that after these activities, he feels more at ease and answers that previously eluded him come more easily. Nursing leader Devon Berry believes it is important for nursing leaders to take care of themselves so that they can take care of others. Although manual activity can sometimes seem like a burden, redeeming the work as a healthy brain break can provide a source of refreshment for our minds.
Devon Berry 