Found Down

On this week's episode, I do a somber reflection on what working as a nurse during the height of Covid-19 felt like, the impact it had on me as a nurse, as a person, and on our profession. Working a global pandemic highlighted to need for nurses to prioritize their mental health. Remember - you are more than your job. You deserve to be here and to be happy. If you are struggling, seek out help from your peers, do a debrief, get peer support, or seek out help from a therapist.This episode was a doozy. Glad it was a short one!Take care of yourself!XO Nicole

On today's episode, I interview Katy Raymond, RN, EOLD about her role as a Death Doula and her nursing business Wewillgetby.com.Katy is a practicing RN. She has a degree in English from University of Washington and got a second degree in nursing from Duke University in 2005. After an 18-year career as an ICU nurse and a travel ICU nurse, she earned her certification as a Death Doula and End of Life planner through the Going with Grace program founded by Alua Arthur. She recently created her own Death Doula business named We Will Get By, LLC.Katy talks about her views on death and how being a death doula can be so helpful in the transition to end-of-life care or "deathcare" outside the hospital. This is a super interesting episode and so helpful. Thank you so much for being on the show, Katy! Go follow what Katy is up to on her Instagram @we.will.get.by!XONicole

On today's episode, I interview Kalen M. Knight, MSN, MBA, RN, CEN, SANE-A about his role as a medicolegal death investigator. You are going to want to listen to this episode - it's super fascinating!Kalen Knight is a Forensic Nursing Specialist with the International Association of Forensic Nurses. He has extensive experience in clinical practice and education development from his prior professional experiences, including emergency, trauma, infectious disease, biocontainment/quarantine, nursing education, and forensic nursing. In addition to his role with the IAFN, Kalen practices as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska as well as a Medicolegal Death Investigator for Pottawattamie County Medical Examiners Office in Iowa. He earned his BSN From Clarkson College in 2016 and his MSN and MBA from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2022. He is a Certified Emergency Nurse and Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. He additionally is an adjunct lecturer for the Masters in Forensic Nursing Programs Quality, Legal, Matters of Death Course and Clinical at Oakland University in Michigan.This is a very interesting episode! Kalen gives us the rundown of what a normal call is like, how he processes the scene, as well as the follow-up as to where the decedent goes and whether or not autopsies are needed. He shares what he loves about the job, and how his views on death have changed since doing this work. If you are interested in forensic nursing, this episode is for you! Also, go check out Kalen's new podcast - Forensic Nursing: Beyond the Evidence with the International Association of Forensic Nurses here!Thank you so much for being on the show, Kalen!

On today's episode, I chat with a friend of the podcast, Dr. Katrine Wallace aka Epidemiologist Kat about what is really going on with the Bird Flu, otherwise known as Avian Flu or H5N1. It was refreshing to hear her talk about the data around H5N1. Big picture - let's not panic. Take a listen if you are interested in Dr. Kat's point of view on H5N1. Thank you for being a voice of reason!XOXONicole

On today's episode, I interview Leah Helmbrecht a Forensic Nurse Examiner and Sane Nurse.Leah is a seasoned registered nurse with over 15 years of experience across various specialties. She currently serves as a Discharge Nurse for Acute Care Units and as a Forensic Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner in the Emergency Room. In addition to her clinical work, Leah is dedicated to raising awareness about critical issues such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and human sex trafficking through social media content. Her educational posts are balanced with lighthearted nurse humor to provide an approachable, yet impactful, platform for advocacy.Leah has conducted research on Childhood Trauma through the Academy of Forensic Nursing and utilizes funds generated from her social media presence and the Nurse Converse podcast to support domestic violence victims. She purchases phones for patients whose abusers have damaged or confiscated their devices, enabling them to communicate with local advocates, law enforcement, and social support networks. Furthermore, Leah has spearheaded initiatives to display resource posters for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in hospital restroom stalls and has played an instrumental role in revising national and local hospital protocols for responding to calls to the Nurse Advice Line from sexual assault survivors.Leah imparts her knowledge of her position, common misconceptions, implications for healthcare providers, and implications for our practice! Her #1 key takeaway is just saying to our patients "I believe you, I am so sorry someone did this to you, and this is NOT your fault."Please go check out her meaningful work teaching adults how to talk to children and you about human trafficking at: https://goafn.thinkific.com/bundles/walkwisebundleAlso, please go visit Leah's Linktree to see everything that she is up to as well as her International Group Trips:https://linktr.ee/offtheclocknurseIf you want to listen to episodes of Leah on the Nurse Converse Podcast check it out here!https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nurse-converse-presented-by-nurse-org/id1724443873Thank you so much!Nicole