Remember walking onto the unit as a student nurse, heart racing, praying your patient wouldn’t code while you were in the room? Yeah… same.In this episode of Nursing Lyfe 101, Christopher and Colby head back to their clinical days — the rotations that built their confidence, broke their nerves, and taught them what kind of nurses they wanted to be.

We’re talking:

• Christopher’s first real code in cardiac surgery ICU (and where his love of chest compressions began)
• A med student who actually diagnosed scurvy in the 2010s (yes… like pirates 🏴‍☠️)
• Psych rotation chaos, locked units, and the patient who made Christopher rethink his life choices
• Awkward and gross moments (looking at you, Foley catheter commentary 👀)
• Clinical instructors and preceptors who either lifted us up or scarred us for a decade
• The moment it finally clicked: “Oh wait… I can actually do this nursing thing.”

We also share Scrub Hacks on:

• How to work with nursing students without making them cry
• How to correct gently, praise loudly, and involve them in real care
• What students should actually focus on in clinicals (hint: it’s not a perfect head-to-toe)
• How students can interact with techs, nurses, and management like professionals — and maybe even land a future job

Whether you’re still rocking student scrubs, precepting for the first time, or reliving your trauma from that one clinical instructor, this episode will make you feel seen, laugh a little, and remember where you started.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio & more — just search “Nursing Lyfe 101.”

Stay curious. Stay kind. And never forget: clinicals are just the beginning.

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