A cold infusion room, a tangled sleeve, a zipper that sets off a scanner—tiny moments can turn a hard day into a brutal one. Our guests, twin founders of Port Studio Brinlee & Mariela, set out to change that after a stage 4 diagnosis at 21 made chemo, scans, and clinic visits a new reality. What they couldn’t find, they built: a chemo-ready crewneck with 100% cotton fabric and plastic zippers on both arms and chest for easy, sterile access to ports, PIC lines, blood pressure cuffs, and labs—without sacrificing warmth, privacy, or style.

We walk through the human problems their design solves and why details matter: no metal for MRI and CT compatibility, dual arm zips for IVs and PICC lines, chest zips for port access, and a cozy feel that eases long infusion days. Their story goes beyond apparel into identity and resilience. The subtle “live” embroidery on each sleeve is a reminder to be present through the hardest hours, and their brand name nods to both their birthplace and the medical port—a symbol of connection, challenge, and hope. Along the way, we talk about early symptoms, the shock of diagnosis, genetic testing without clear answers, and the caregiver experience of an identical twin navigating fear and survivor’s guilt.

Nurses are the heartbeat of this conversation. We share how a remembered name, a warm hello, or a quick chat about life—not labs—can shift a patient’s mindset, with research hinting that positive experiences can influence treatment response. We also weigh in on how accessible clothing streamlines workflows, preserves sterility, and reduces awkward moments for everyone at the bedside. This is a candid, practical, and hopeful look at patient-centered design, oncology care, chronic illness, and the small choices that make a big difference.

Want to spread some light? SimpleNursing has covered the cost of 100 accessible crewnecks that YOU can gift! These 100 are first-come first-serve so if you miss it, use code SIMPLE10 for 10% off at theportstudio.com. 

Remember to subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more patients and nurses find this conversation.

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Start with a laugh, stay for the truth. We sit down with Sarah, a psych nurse, and her sister Emily to explore what real inclusion in healthcare looks like when you move past labels and meet the person in front of you. Their story arcs from a pandemic-era TikTok experiment to a community of millions who come for the pranks and lunchbox notes, then stay for the hard-earned wisdom on dignity & communication.

Sarah opens up about struggling through clinicals until psych finally felt like home, pushing back on the myth that mental health units are “glorified babysitting.” She walks us through practical, bedside-level practices that change outcomes: greet and engage the patient first, explain every step, validate pain even when words are scarce, and escalate when first-line meds don’t touch obvious distress. Emily’s recent surgery becomes a case study in bias and advocacy, from a dismissive PACU moment to the relief that came when someone finally listened.

We also talk representation and identity with a powerful milestone: Emily finding a Barbie with Down syndrome after sixteen years without a doll that looked like her. That spark of recognition connects to better care—when people feel seen, anxiety drops and trust rises. Then we switch gears to their other passion: fostering hundreds of rescue cats using transferable nursing skills under veterinary guidance. It’s a joyful reminder that compassion is portable and clinical judgment adapts across settings.

If you’re a nurse, student, caregiver, or just someone who wants to treat people better, you’ll leave with concrete takeaways: speak to the person, assume comprehension, use plain language and teach-back, preserve autonomy, and look for abilities before limitations. Come for the humor, leave with a sharper clinical lens and a bigger heart. If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find us.

To submit your stories & comments, visit: https://simplenursing.com/podcast/

Your NCLEX doesn’t demand perfect memory. It asks one core question: can you keep patients safe when the stakes are high and the clock is running? We break test stress into simple moves that lower anxiety, sharpen judgment, and turn tricky stems into clear decisions you can trust.

Professor Alison joins us to unpack the thinking behind safe answers: how to name what the question really wants (the right thing, the wrong thing, or the first thing), how to prioritize beyond ABCs by weighing acute vs chronic & expected vs unexpected, and how to catch instability keywords like new, sudden, rapid, and worsening. We walk through a live select‑all‑that‑apply example and show how to treat each line as true‑false, avoid over‑selecting under partial‑credit scoring, and spot language that signals unsafe care. You’ll learn that drugs often “overdo” their jobs, how to use body‑system logic to eliminate distractors, and when opposites in the options point to the correct answer choice.

Strategy meets routine with a practical two‑to‑three week plan: daily comprehensive sets of unused questions, test mode only, and periodic endurance blocks to build stamina. We share how to schedule breaks without losing momentum, why micro‑breaks after every rationale can sabotage focus on test day, and how to simulate the testing center to desensitize distractions. We also get real about readiness: what score ranges suggest you’re on track, when to push your date, and how to bounce back if you didn’t pass by using the performance report to target client‑needs gaps.

If you’re tired of guessing and ready to think like a safe nurse, this NCLEX crash course is for you! Share this with a classmate who needs a lift and leave a review with your NCLEX questions—we might break them down on a future show.

To submit your stories & comments, visit: https://simplenursing.com/podcast/

Ever wonder what it feels like to hold a patient’s life in your hands while learning a new device, managing six drips, and calming a terrified family—in two languages? We invited Sam Del Toro, a Miami CVICU nurse heading to CRNA school, to take us inside the reality of high‑acuity cardiac care and the leadership it demands at the bedside.

Sam opens up about choosing nursing over medical school, leveraging a tough science background to become a competitive CRNA applicant, and landing an ICU role during the COVID hiring crunch. She shows how Spanish as a first language isn’t just cultural identity—it’s clinical force multiplier. From explaining extubation to translating consent for open‑heart surgery, language and empathy reduce fear, prevent errors, and build trust in a city where many patients meet the hospital for the first time on the worst day of their lives.

We dig into Miami’s cardiovascular trends—STEMIs, heart failure, and the dangers of delayed care in middle‑aged Hispanic men—and explore how chest pain often hides as back or stomach pain. Sam's rule is simple and lifesaving: check distal pulses early and often. We also talk about confidence as a new nurse, why humility accelerates growth, and practical ways to learn fast—volunteer for codes, open the crash cart, handle documentation, and ask smart questions that make doctors’ decisions easier.

Toughest moment? Caring for her grandmother through septic shock, then using hair care and skincare to restore dignity and control. It’s a reminder that the strongest medicine sometimes looks like small, human choices. We wrap with honest talk on burnout, why many ICU nurses pivot to advanced practice, and how great managers build cultures that keep teams together.

If this conversation helped you think differently about critical care, subscribe, share with a nursing friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway!

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Want a real look at how nurses are shaped—fast—and still come out safe, confident, and patient-centered? Nurse Mike sits down with Professor Katrina Lino from West Coast University to unpack the inner workings of an accelerated BSN: five-hour lectures that actually land, student-centric support that extends past graduation, and a teaching philosophy that treats pathophysiology as the root of every smart clinical decision.

We walk through how to keep a room engaged, when to pause for brains to reset, and how stories lock complex mechanisms into memory. Professor Kat explains why mastering “what’s happening” in the body turns Pharmacology, Med Surg, and Assessment into a connected map instead of scattered facts. Then we go beyond slides into the high-fidelity Sim world—mannequins that blink and desaturate, Virtual Reality anatomy that peels back layers to vessels and organs, and AI patient interviews that sharpen rapport before day one on the unit. The payoff shows up in clinicals: students who debrief deeply step onto the floor with clearer priorities and stronger voices.

We also confront the tough transitions. How do you stop hiding behind the computer and start building trust at the bedside? What turns a good clinical into a great one when a preceptor is stretched thin? Professor Kat shares practical moves: own a patient assignment, start with conversation, and practice assessments even when you’re not passing meds. We tackle the Med Surg vs ER first-job debate—foundation and follow-up on the floor, triage instincts and breadth in the ER—and connect both paths back to long-term growth. And yes, care plans still matter in the real world, with goals and interventions that guide teams toward measurable outcomes.

If you’re a student, educator, or curious future nurse, this conversation offers grounded strategies you can use today: build concept-map study guides, label NCLEX stems by the nursing process, and seek simulation that mirrors reality. Subscribe, share with a classmate, and leave a review with your take: med surg or ER for the best first year—and why?

** West Coast University cannot guarantee employment.

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A brick wall, a Jeep duck, and an engagement ring sets the episode scene—but the real story is how a new grad who started on a Covid unit turned humor into healing and built a platform without letting go of the bedside. We sit down with Natalie Ray to unpack modern nursing: the trauma and the laughter, the brand deals and the hourly pay, the praise and the pile‑on that comes with being visible online.

Natalie shares how TikTok became a lifeline during lockdowns and the exact guardrails she uses to protect her license and her livelihood. She explains the backlash that came from something as simple as a recognizable brick wall and offers clear, repeatable steps any healthcare worker can use to keep personal content separate from their employer. We also dig into the myths around money—why the luxury lifestyles you see aren’t funded by bedside pay alone—and why staying part‑time at the hospital keeps her grounded, empathetic, and honest with her audience.

The conversation widens to clinical education and culture. Natalie walked away from a toxic teaching environment, arguing that recent bedside experience and student advocacy matter as much as degrees. We compare ratios and raises, talk about unsafe assignments, and call out the “pizza party” approach to staffing. Through it all runs a practical blueprint for resilience: curate your unit culture, learn from feedback, debrief at home without blaming your partner, and choose the kind of nurse—and teammate—you want to be.

Hit follow, share with a friend, and leave a review with your take: if you had to pick one today, would you choose better ratios or better pay?

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Cardiac chaos, clinical goosebumps, and a calendar that plans even the commute—this conversation pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to thrive in nursing school. We sit down with a fourth-semester student who swapped a marketing major for bedside care and found her stride using short, high-yield study videos, sticky music mnemonics, and AI-powered NCLEX practice to turn overwhelm into understanding.

The heart of the story is mindset and method. She walks us through building a living schedule in Google Calendar to protect focus, workouts, and genuine downtime, then shows how spaced repetition across formats—audio, flashcards, concise videos, and targeted reading—locks in complex topics like cardiac and pharmacology. We also compare test rituals, from fidget pens to calming playlists and mint tricks that settle the nerves.

Clinicals bring everything into focus. A first natural birth delivers awe, empathy, and clarity about OB, while ER and trauma rotations reveal controlled chaos, quick stabilization, and teamwork under pressure. Psych challenges expectations and underscores the need to read the room, respect boundaries, and communicate with compassion. We dig into balancing school with life—yes, you can travel or see friends—if you plan, prioritize, and keep promises to your future self. For those weighing jobs and loans, we lay out options: part-time roles like CNA or tech in target units, strategic debt, or pausing work to protect grades. And for creators, we share how to stay authentic online while guarding privacy and honoring HIPAA.

If you’re exploring nursing, already in the trenches, or returning for a second career, you’ll find grounded tactics you can use today: smarter studying, calmer testing, kinder communication, and a community that keeps you going. Subscribe, share with a classmate, and drop your best study ritual or clinical tip in a review—we’ll feature our favorites in a future episode.

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Scrubs, scope, and second chances—this conversation with Kesheen is a candid look at how a nursing career really takes shape. We start with a hard detour: walking away from a BSN program that drained his momentum, then rebuilding confidence through an LPN at a community college. From there, pediatrics clicked.

We get practical about the move from CNA to LPN and the shift into leadership. Delegation stops being a buzzword when you’ve been the tech who always stepped in. Kesheen breaks down how he learned to prioritize, ask for help, and protect his bandwidth while honoring the team. We dig into the gray zone of LPN vs RN scope—initial assessments, education, IVs, and blood administration—and why the only answer that counts is your state board and your unit policy. Internet debates don’t cover hospital nuance; printed policies do.

Study tactics are straight to the point. Active recall on a whiteboard, teach-back in plain English, and question banks that mirror NCLEX logic build confidence. For SATA, flipping each option into true or false slows panic and speeds clarity. We also talk money and timeline: why an LPN-first route can be more affordable, how to weigh debt against regional salaries, and ways to work without burning out. And on social media, authenticity wins—share what you actually use, let your policy guide your practice, and tune out the noise.

If you’re navigating nursing school, returning after a pause, or trying to find your place on the floor, this story offers both compass and map. 

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What if the moments that scare us most at the bedside are simply the body doing what it’s designed to do? We sit down with Hospice Nurse Julie, a New York Times bestselling author, to unpack the biology of dying in clear, compassionate terms and show how honest language can calm a room faster than any euphemism. From getting permission to “be candid” with families to explaining why IV fluids can backfire near the end, we focus on practical skills that turn fear into understanding.

We explore terminal lucidity—the rally or surge that brings a sudden burst of energy, appetite, and personality shortly before death—and lay out how to recognize it without false hope. Julie walks through the actively dying phase step by step: Chain Stokes breathing cycles, agonal respirations as brainstem reflex, and terminal secretions often called the death rattle. You’ll learn how to assess for real distress, when to use morphine to ease the work of breathing, why suction can increase saliva, and how simple repositioning and mouth care support comfort. The goal is humane, evidence‑informed care that lowers anxiety for everyone at the bedside.

We also open the door to experiences that many witness but few discuss. Julie shares a powerful shared death experience that arrived at the exact time a patient passed, and we talk about end‑of‑life “visiting,” where patients often see deceased loved ones. Whether you frame these events as spiritual, neurological, or both, acknowledging the trend validates what countless families report and helps them feel less alone. By pairing physiology with presence, and science with tenderness, we offer a guide to the last hours that is clear, grounded, and deeply human.

If this conversation helps you feel braver or more prepared, share it with a colleague or caregiver who needs it, and subscribe for more insights on the human side of healthcare. Your reviews help others find the show—leave one and tell us what you want to learn next.

To submit your stories & comments, visit: https://simplenursing.com/podcast/

What if the thing we fear most—dying—is often gentler than we think? We sit down with Hospice Nurse Julie to unpack the stark differences between ICU deaths shaped by machines and a natural decline supported by hospice, where bodies often lead the way with less hunger, more sleep, and a surprising absence of pain. Julie shares the moment she learned to raise her hand in rounds and ask for family meetings, and how clear, direct language can transform care plans from “survival at all costs” to comfort with dignity.

We dig into practical, bedside communication that any nurse or loved one can use right away. Julie offers real phrases that reduce confusion, outlines the typical signs seen in the last months of life, and explains why “keep them comfortable, safe, and clean” is a powerful daily compass for caregivers. For complex pain, she walks through the advanced options agencies should be ready to deploy—subcutaneous pumps, port access, and coordinated protocols—so families know what to demand before a crisis hits. She also clarifies palliative care versus hospice, how Medicare standardizes hospice benefits, and why timelines matter when it comes to preserving meaningful time at home.

Burnout and boundaries get the honest treatment too. Julie names compassion fatigue for what it is—detachment born from unsafe expectations—and shows how to say no with professional courage, using the language of safety to protect licenses, patients, and team culture. For nurses eyeing hospice, she separates myth from reality: hospice requires strong assessment skills and autonomy, and an inpatient hospice start can build confidence before moving into home care. Along the way, we talk about Julie’s book and journal that teach therapeutic communication step by step, and how social media made these conversations more accessible for families everywhere.

If you value candid, compassionate care and want real tools for the hardest conversations, this one’s for you. Listen, share with a colleague or caregiver, and tell us: what honest phrase will you try first? Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to help more people find thoughtful, practical conversations like this.

To submit your stories & comments, visit: https://simplenursing.com/podcast/