Nina Roberts is a senior nurse anesthesia student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Part of her doctoral project titled, “are the current methods of pain control for intrauterine device insertion effective for nulliparous women,” was to create a podcast highlighting the lack of a standardized approach to pain relief for IUD insertion for women. If you're unfamiliar with the term nulliparous, it refers to a woman who has never given birth.

Nina became passionate about this project almost five years ago because of her friend Lizzie's experience with her IUD insertion. Because of Lizzie's story, Nina
began to hear other women's stories about their IUD insertions, many of which mirrored Lizzie's experience.  In this episode, listeners will also hear from Lauren and Callie as they share their personal experiences with this procedure. Additionally, you will hear from doctor, Chailee Moss, a board certified OBGYN.

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IUD Diaries script
Evidence Synthesis and references

Thank you to Gianna Salvi for the cover art.

In this episode Dr. Schultz from the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling discusses how to maintain wellness and balance as a student in the College of Health Professions. The conversation is with three graduate students who are currently in the MS in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program. Ashley Cherry, Sally Johnson, and Shruti Sampath share their experiences in adjusting to graduate school, challenges they have faced, and strategies they have used to get through the difficult times. They also discuss the challenging but rewarding process of personal growth, and the importance of support networks and community in growing as a professional. 

In this episode we interview Lauren Mortensen, Senior Program Specialist for the Ph.D. in Health Related Sciences program at VCU and a Ph.D. student herself. Lauren shares her insights into pursuing an academic degree while already engaged in a career as well as how to strike a balance between each of these major obligations. 

In this episode we talk to Dr. Ann Dunbar, alumni of the physical therapy program and founder of the 'Honoring Our Mentors Physical Therapy Scholarship'. Dr. Dunbar shares her experience with the College of Health Professions and what motivated her to establish this fund to support the students of today while remembering the contributions of those helping students reach their professional goals. 

Whether you're a student, a faculty member, an administrator, or simply someone who's passionate about health sciences, this episode is here to highlight exactly how one of our graduate students connect, collaborate, and create lasting change right here on campus and within her community.

So whether you are affiliated with the College of Health Professions, VCU or another institution, we hope this serves as encouragement for our listeners to explore engagement opportunities and see the value in connecting.

The college experience is what you make of it. This saying could not be more true for Cam Mattox, a student in the College of Health Professions' Bachelor's in Health Services program. In this episode, Chelsea Gary sits down with Cam to learn about her undergraduate experience as an actively engaged student and how her involvement with different organizations has helped her grow personally, professionally, and academically. 

In this special guest episode, Danielle Duffy, graduate student in the College of Health Professions Department of Nurse Anesthesia, shares reflections on her doctoral project. Danielle explores the concept of psychological safety, what it is, how it presents itself in the clinical setting, and how it can influence actions taken by student clinicians. She also looks at the impact of these decisions and psychological safety in general on patients and patient safety.

Research references



For more information on the DNAP program at VCU visit the Department of Nurse Anesthesia website.

Dr. Meena Verma did not arrive in the United States from India with a background in medical education. However, equipped with the inspiration of her grandfather and a calling to improve the lives of others she took on the challenges that lead to becoming a nurse anesthetist and proud alumna of the VCU Nurse Anesthesia department. In this episode, she shares her story as a learner and how mentorship of new students plays an important role in her professional practice.

Featured Guests:
Meena Verma - DNAP, CRNA

VCU’s U:CREATE internship provides collaboration and clinical research opportunities for undergraduate students.

Featured Guests:
Nada Youssef - VCU Physical Therapy Student
Deema Ballout - VCU Physical Therapy Student

Sportable has created opportunities and transformed the lives of individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments through sport since 2005. Take a listen to how Natalie Slemp, a 3rd year student in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral program, embarked on her capstone journey and plans to leave an impact along the way.


Featured guest
Natalie Slemp - VCU Occupational Therapy Student