The Texas Nurses Podcast

Episode 005: Marisol Adewunmi, pediatric ICU nurse, and Jeff Watson, TNA Past President #NurseLife On this episode of the #NurseLife podcast, we wanted to continue our conversation regarding mental health and why it is SO important that we continue to have these conversations and offer each other support. 2020 has not been easy. To say the least. And while nurses tend to be painted as strong and heroic figures, the fact of the matter is that we are tired. This pandemic will definitely leave an impact on our profession and will require some recovery. And so that’s what we are going to focus on today. What does that recovery look like and how do we use this pandemic as an opportunity for nurses and organizations to flip the script on burnout.

Episode 004: Liz Higgins LMFT-S, Individual/Couples Therapist and Founder of Millennial Life Counseling #NurseLife In this episode, we talk to Liz Higgins LMFT-S, Individual/Couples Therapist and Founder of Millennial Life Counseling. Our aim was to have an open conversation about mental health and share our experiences. The good, bad and the ugly. Maintaining mental health has been a struggle in nursing – even before the era of COVID-19. So how do we take care of ourselves mentally? Why is it so hard? We also take some time to unravel the overwhelming stigma around this topic, generational differences and their responses to mental health – and discuss why talk-therapy should be viewed as a necessity in our profession. Resources to help nurses looking to talk to someone: Psychology Today (good search engine for therapy) Open Path Collective (therapists who agree to reduced-fee services) Coronavirus Online Therapy (great resource to find affordable therapists)

Episode 003: Ernest Grant PhD, RN, FAAN, President of the American Nurses Association #NurseLife In our fourth episode, we sit down with Dr. Ernest Grant, President of the American Nurses Association. Dr. Grant talks with Danika and Amy about the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole, the related events as of late and the role that nurses play in standing against racial injustices and atrocities made towards the Black community.

#NurseLife Ep. 2 hosted by Amy McCarthy, MSN, RNC-MNN, NE-BC, and Danika Meyer, MSN, RN-BC, CPN In our second episode, we sit down with Rachel Barbey, former President of the Texas Nursing Students Association. Rachel recently graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler with her BSN. We took a moment to sit down and speak with her about the impact of COVID-19 on her transition from nursing school as well as starting her career in the midst of a global pandemic.

The Texas Nurses Podcast is back! In the first episode of season 2, we're focusing on mental and physical health and wellness, for nurses and their patients alike! Hear from a nurse yoga instructor and learn about how concussion care is changing in school settings—only on the Texas Nurses Podcast! Let us know in the comments: what actions do you take daily for your physical and mental health?

Town hall with updates on vaccines and the Texas Health Care Industry Strike Force, with open forum for nurses to share stories, concerns, successes, or questions. Hosted by Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, TNA director of practice. #COVID19

Hosted by Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH Overview of timeline for vaccine development and distribution, vaccine technology and outcomes, talking to patients about vaccines, and how the DSHS vaccine exercises and trainings can help nurses. How Texas nurses are affected by the recent spike, the cities hardest hit, our action alert about the governor’s mask mandate. Best practices in talking to patients about vaccines. COVID and the legislative session. Please sign up and share the CARES Study: www.texascaresproject.org #COVID19

Hosted by Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE, Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH Vaccines, burnout, rising cases and masking up. #COVID19

#NurseLife Nurses care for others. It is what calls them to nursing. But when nurses are in stressful situations, like the COVID-19 pandemic, ethical concerns can lead to moral distress and compassion fatigue. When nurses know what they need to do to care for a patient but are unable to provide the level of care needed due to supply shortages, changes in standards of care and safety concerns — nurses may face a conflict between their ethical responsibilities and the capabilities of their environment. Many nurses even report leaving the profession due to moral distress. Hear from a panel of direct care nurses, nurse educators and hospital leaders on how moral distress presents in the workplace and how self-care can strengthen nurses in stressful situations. Panelists: Brenda B. Charles MSN, APRN-BC, CCNS, PCCN Clinical Nurse Specialist – Professional Practice Leader DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center Desha Johnson Makiya, PhD, MBA, RN, CCRN-K, PCCN-K Assistant Director School of Nursing Assistant Professor and Adult Health II Coordinator Sam Houston State University Erin Perez, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, AGNP-C, ACHPN Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner University Hospital San Antonio Catherine Robichaux, PhD, RN, Alumna CCRN Assistant Professor, Adjunct The University of Texas Health Science Center Jeanie L. Sauerland, MA, BSN, RN Director, Ethics Services Independent Living Donor Advocate University Health System Nelson Tuazon, DNP, DBA, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPPS, CPHQ, FNAP, FACHE Vice-President and Associate Chief Nursing Officer University Health System Michele Wieckowski, RN, BSN-BC Case Manager Texas Peer Assistance Program for Nurses (TPAPN)

#COVID19 Hosted by Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH Remembering the nurses who died on 9/11/2001. PPE shortages (ANA surveys), staffing shortages, strain on health care system, hospitalization rate, preparing for flu season, disparities among racial and ethnic minorities, guidance on staff exposure and staff shortages, isolation and quarantine, how nurses can influence policy and advocate at a state level. Help TNA and ANA get to 200 million flu shots!  

#COVID19 Hosted by Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE, Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH Updates on staffing, testing capacity, updates to crisis care guidelines, end-of-life care, visitation policies. COVID-19 Task Force updates, a recap of the COVID-19 Frontline Panel, self-care and nursing leadership. Updates on the vaccine development, immunity, best types of homemade masks, treating COVID-19 as a circulatory condition, rather than respiratory, looking at excess deaths and new models, MIS-C in children.  Please wear a mask and urge your patients to wear masks! Help us change nursing culture to encourage more self-care! 

#COVID19 Hosted by Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH (with Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE) Back to School, partnerships with Texas School Nurses Organization, documentation during crisis, testing, exposure among direct care nurses, statewide advocacy, criteria for health care workers returning to work, reusing PPE, mask efficacy, sourcing additional PPE, safe harbor, COVID-19 task force, speaking to the media. 

#NurseLife TNA hosted a panel of Black nurses in Texas from different areas in the state who serve in diverse roles who talked about their experiences. The discussion includes race, racism, nursing ethics and the experience of being Black in America.  Panelists Tommye Austin, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC – Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at University Health System San Antonio  TNA Member, Named one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives (2020) Patricia Francis-Johnson, DNP, RN – Assistant Professor and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing Lubbock Leadership Succession Committee Chair, Former End of Life Task Force Chair Viola Hebert, MA, BSN, RN – Clinical Liaison at Abbott Nutrition Houston TNA Board Member 2005-2013 Ebony Mitchell, MSN, RN, BHA - RN Surgery Scheduler Coordinator at Houston Methodist TMC and RN IV/Night Weekend Charge Perioperative Services at Memorial Hermann Hospital TMC TNA Awards Committee Member Shakyryn Napie, DHSc, RN, CPN, NEA-BC – Director of Nursing at Cook Children’s Medical Center Ft. Worth TNA Board Member 2017-2020, Chair of Policy Council Michelle Newsome, MSN, RN-BC, NE-BC – Clinical Nurse Manager at Baylor Scott and White Round Rock Medical Center TNA Member Sola Ahmed Oyewuwo, MSN, MBA, RN – Clinical Nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston Policy Council Member, 2019 ANAI Fellow, 2019 TNA podcast host Antwoin Smith, BSN, RN, MBA-HCM, MSML, NE-BC, CRRN – Chief Nursing Officer at Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation Ft. Worth Former TNA Emerging Leader, Former Chair TNA Governmental Affairs Committee

#COVID19 Ep. 8 hosted by Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN.  Hear from nurse leaders and frontline staff responding to COVID-19 Perspectives on Caring was a virtual panel interview with chief nursing officers and direct care nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. They discussed the good, the bad and the possibilities for the future and examined the successes, challenges and where to go from here after assessing the current impact of the pandemic on health care and preparing for a potential surge in the fall and winter.  Panelists District 1 Linda Lawson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nurse Officer, The Hospitals of Providence and Clinical Assistant Professor, Gayle Greve Hunt School of   Nursing, El Paso Enid LeBlanc, MBA, BSN, RN, Director, Infection Prevention and Control, The Hospitals of Providence, El Paso District 5 Sheila Fata, BSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nurse Executive, St.   David’s Healthcare, Austin Shelly Mouser, Staff RN, St. David's Medical Center, Austin District 8 Adam Sahyouni, BSN, RN, Manager COVID-19 ICU, Methodist Healthcare System, San Antonio Gretta Gast, BSN, RN, COVID-19 ECMO ICU RN, Methodist Healthcare System, San Antonio District   9 Josette Armendariz-Batiste, DNP, RN, CCRN, CENP, Chief Nurse Executive, University of Texas Medical Branch Health System,   Galveston District 21 Brandon "Kit" Bredimus, DNP, RN, CEN, CPEN, CNML, NE-BC, QMHP-CS, Vice President of Nursing / Chief Nursing Officer, Midland Memorial   Hospital, Midland Heather Hale, Staff RN, Midland Memorial

#NurseLife Ep. 1 hosted by Amy McCarthy, MSN, RNC-MNN, NE-BC, and Danika Meyer, MSN, RN-BC, CPN Amy and Danika sit down with Vinh Nguyen. Vinh currently serves as the Assistant Dean at the UT School of Nursing. A transplant from the school of business, Vinh has taken this background and utilized it to help students understand the importance of skills such as marketing and advocacy. Vinh discusses the importance of storytelling in nursing and how it’s essential that nurses learn to advocate for themselves from the beginning of their careers.

#NurseLife Ep. 0 hosted by Amy McCarthy, MSN, RNC-MNN, NE-BC, and Danika Meyer, MSN, RN-BC, CPN Amy McCarthy and Danika Meyer have a combined 15 years of experience in both leadership and nursing professional development, speaking experience at the local, state and national levels and are millennial nurse leaders. Amy currently serves as Secretary of the Texas Nurses Association and represents District 4. Danika is a member of the Texas Nurses Association and represents District 3.  Danika and Amy are both writers and authors of their lived experience with Masters Degrees in Nursing Education and Executive Leadership, respectively, in addition to related specialty certifications. Danika and Amy both have direct experience in equipping clinical nurses with the tools to propose and manage the changes they want to see.

#COVID19 Ep. 7 hosted by Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE, Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill  Nurse Chats, self-care, resources for sharing nurse stories, updates from the Texas Health Care Industry COVID-19 Strike Force, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), updates from the Texas Governor, modeling, nurses in the media, nurse hackathon.  Originally aired on Facebook Live May 15.

#COVID19 Ep. 6 hosted by Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE, Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH What does back to normal look like? Reopening Texas, testing and contact tracing expansion in Texas, return to work plans, concerns with long-term care settings, Texas Public Health Coalition discussion on pandemic response, nursing furloughs, telehealth successes. Originally aired on Facebook Live May 1.

#COVID19 Ep. 5 hosted by Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE, Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH As cases plateau, we discuss what is happening statewide and in different practice environments. Hear what nurses are experiencing throughout the state and in different countries. Includes: PPE decontamination, PPE advocacy, legislators’ response to nurse action alert, Nurses Week and Nurses Month, blood clot related symptoms in patients with COVID-19, kidney function, loosening business restrictions, testing inconsistency. Originally aired on Facebook Live April 24.

#COVID19 Ep. 4 hosted by Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, and Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH We review the Governor’s announcement on reopening the state, TNA’s survey results, legislators’ response to nurse action alert, working with nurse leaders on communications, nurse rights and PPE shortages, crisis planning, how COVID-19 will change practices, when to follow aerosol precautions vs droplet precautions, retaliation protections in Texas, free benefits and funds for nurses. Originally aired on Facebook Live April 24.