Throughout this pandemic, nurses, doctors and staff across hospitals and community health centers have been on the front lines caring for patients and their families.

It's been an emotional and physically challenging time for many of them. To help those struggling in this field, Brigham and Women's hospital has launched a podcast called Resiliency Roadmap. The eight episode series explores different ways nurses can build resiliency and prioritize their mental health while they work.

Maddy Pearson is the chief nursing officer and senior vice president for clinical services at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She also hosts the podcast. She said it was important to have the series hosted by nurses for their colleagues — in Boston and beyond.

"Nursing has a very special place, a very special vision and voice as we care for patients," Pearson said. "We know that nurses spend 95% of time at the bedside with the patient. We have other roles who come in and out, and that's not to take away from their role. They're just as important to the care of the patient. But nurses know the patients so much deeper and greater. So the impact, then, of the pandemic on the bedside nurse, on the clinical nurse ... was that much greater. And that's why it was so important that we all speak with this nursing lens, and this nursing voice, and kind of bring light to that."

This week's episode is called "Please Don't Call Me A Hero." In it, Pearson and guests Christine Murphy and Susan Gabriel talk about the impact of being called a hero. Murphy, program director for Brigham's Psychiatric Nursing Resource Service, says many nurses don't consider themselves heroes and just see their work on the front lines as them doing their jobs.

"I think it's a thoughtful label to call somebody a hero — and certainly they were heroes, no doubt," Murphy said. "But when we call them a hero, we have to also recognize that there's a flip side to that — like, make sure we're recognizing their human needs and help them to take care of themselves and get the support they may need."

We also heard from Paul Sacco, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Lodging Association, about the drastic impact the pandemic has had on hotels and motels across the state.

Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.

Segments:

Paul Sacco - 2:12
Maddy Pearson and Christine Murphy - 13:24

Correction: A previous version of this article spelled Susan Gabriel's name incorrectly.