Club Nurse

Some weeks, Club Nurse News reminds you what nurses are capable of, and some weeks it reminds you what nurses are up against. This week does both. 

On this Club Nurse Podcast news roundup, Colton Lord, RN, breaks down:

• The Montana wound care nurse who was impaled by his own trekking pole on Granite Peak and used his nursing instincts to hike about 10 miles to safety with the pole still in place
• A former CRNA in Tennessee who, according to Board of Nursing documents, modified single-use laryngoscope blades at home and reused them on surgical patients
• A Florida man accused of punching two hospital employees and pointing a gun at one of them in an ICU after his mother's death, and what nurses should know about workplace violence
• The many nurses running for Congress in 2026 and the nursing issues their campaigns are running on. 

Stay informed with the stories shaping nursing right now.

Read more at nurse.org/news. Listen at nurse.org/clubnurse or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Content advisory: This episode discusses a traumatic injury (with mention of graphic photos), patient safety and infection exposure, and workplace violence involving a firearm. If you are a nurse affected by workplace violence, support is available.

Skip Ahead:

• 0:49: Welcome and what's on this week
• 1:55: Why your "nurse brain" kicks in during emergencies
• 3:22: Montana nurse impaled by his trekking pole hikes 10 miles to safety
• 8:23: Former CRNA modified and reused single-use laryngoscope blades
• 12:01: Man pulls gun on hospital staff in a Florida ICU: what nurses should know
• 15:56: The nurses running for Congress in 2026

Stories covered on Nurse.org:

• Montana Nurse Impaled by Trekking Pole Hiked 10 Miles to Safety Using His Nursing Instinct
• CRNA Took Laryngoscope Blades Home, Modified Them, and Reused Them on Patients
• Man Pulls Gun on Hospital Staff, Accuses Them of Killing His Mom: What Nurses Should Know
• Meet the Nurses Running for Congress in 2026. Here's What Their Campaigns Say About Nursing

Follow Colton on socials: @NurseDaddys and @ColtonLord17
Follow Nurse.org for the latest nursing news: nurse.org/news

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

It was a heavy week in healthcare, and Colton Lord, RN, breaks down what it all means for nurses. 

On this Club Nurse Podcast news roundup:

• The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial reports deadlock as the nursing world waits for a verdict
• A pharmacy error at a Nashville hospital leaves patients paralyzed and brings a criminal investigation to the same city that prosecuted RaDonda Vaught (who is no longer a licensed nurse)
• Nightingale College sues the California Board of Registered Nursing as hundreds of graduates wait to take the NCLEX
• Nurses say goodbye to Dolly Parton, whose giving reached all the way to the bedside
• A new grad nurse pleads guilty in an Ohio nursing home hypothermia death. 

Stay informed with the stories shaping nursing right now. Read more at nurse.org/news. Listen at nurse.org/clubnurse or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Content advisory: This episode discusses infant and child loss, suicide, and postpartum psychosis. If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available.

Skip Ahead:

• 0:48 - Welcome and what's on this week
• 1:20 - Lindsay Clancy trial: verdict watch and what nurses are saying
• 5:30 - Nashville medication error: potassium phosphate given instead of mepivacaine, TBI opens a case
• 9:27 - Nightingale College sues the California BRN as graduates wait on the NCLEX
• 14:20 - Remembering Dolly Parton and her healthcare legacy
• 16:11 - Ohio nursing home hypothermia death: new grad nurse pleads guilty, avoids prison

Stories covered on Nurse.org:

• Nurses and Other Health Experts Say Some Facts in Lindsay Clancy's Case Don't Make Sense
• Nurses Sound the Alarm After Pharmacy Error Paralyzes Patients at Nashville Hospital
• Nursing Graduates Blocked From NCLEX as Nightingale College Sues California Board
• Nurses Say Goodbye to Dolly Parton, Whose Giving Reached All the Way to the Bedside
• New-Grad Nurse Pleads Guilty in Nursing Home Hypothermia Death, Avoids Prison

Note: RaDonda Vaught is discussed in this episode. Vaught is no longer a licensed nurse. Hear her full conversation with Colton on a recent episode of the Club Nurse Podcast.

Follow Nurse.org for the latest nursing news: nurse.org/news

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

Colton Lord breaks down five nursing news stories that actually matter this week. 

An ICU nurse's trial testimony went viral and nurses are calling it a masterclass in documentation — here is exactly what she did right and why "chart like you're going to court" is more than a nursing school cliché. 

Plus: a bipartisan federal bill that would ban forced nurse overtime nationwide, the Red Cross declaring its second-ever national blood crisis, why burnout follows nurses into non-clinical roles, and a brand-new nursing specialty the ANA just recognized.

Colton also shares an honest update on his own return to night shift in the ER. 

Skip ahead:

• 00:49: Last week's episode recap
• 02:26: ICU nurse Meghan Collins' viral testimony and what it teaches about charting
• 06:24: The Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act explained
• 09:20: The Red Cross declares a rare national blood crisis
• 12:43: Why burnout does not end when you leave the bedside
• 14:48: The ANA recognizes a brand-new nursing specialty
• 16:37: Colton's honest update on night shift, and sign-off

Links:

• Nurse.org news: nurse.org/news
• Club Nurse Podcast: nurse.org/clubnurse
• Follow Colton: @NurseDaddys / @ColtonLord17

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

RaDonda Vaught's name is one almost every nurse knows. In 2017, a medication error at Vanderbilt University Medical Center ended a patient's life — and ended her nursing career. She reported the error herself, lost her license, and was later convicted of criminally negligent homicide, a case that became a national flashpoint over the criminalization of medical errors.

In this episode of the Club Nurse Podcast, host Colton Lord talks with RaDonda about what actually happened, why she still speaks publicly, and what she's learned about shame, reporting culture, and human error in healthcare. She unpacks why a mistake only looks like a choice in hindsight, what accountability really means (and why she thinks the word has been twisted), how to support a coworker in the minutes after an error, and whether there's life after the bedside.

RaDonda is not a licensed nurse and does not hold any professional license.

Skip ahead:

• 00:49: Welcome and guest introduction
• 01:35: "This is not just my story" — RaDonda on whose story this actually is
• 03:02: What happened, in her own words: the error, the termination, the board, the charges
• 07:54: Why nurses are afraid to report anything
• 09:18: "No one was talking about this" — what nursing school never prepared her for
• 15:12: What to actually do in the moments right after an error
• 22:32: Life without a license: "I still put BSN behind my signature"
• 27:56: The new generation of nurses and the boundaries they're setting
• 32:00: Is there life after the bedside? Farming, transferable skills, and starting over
• 34:58: "What does accountability mean to you?"
• 40:39: Parting words: kindness is free

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

A man is suing OpenAI, ChatGPT and Sam Altman, alleging the chatbot's advice to stay "recliner-bound" contributed to a near-fatal pulmonary embolism. Host Colton Lord breaks down what the lawsuit claims: negligence, unlicensed practice of medicine, defective product design. And he discusses what it signals about AI entering clinical care. 

He also covers the cyclospora outbreak now confirmed in 41 states, including the symptoms, the 2-to-14-day onset window, and the stool testing detail nurses can't afford to miss.

Plus: how one float nurse built a thriving med spa without a bachelor's or business degree, and the case of a Pennsylvania school nurse fired after refusing an assignment she believed fell outside her LPN scope of practice.

Jump Ahead:

• 04:42: Story 1: Man sues OpenAI/ChatGPT over missed pulmonary embolism
• 09:51: Story 2: Cyclospora outbreak, symptoms, testing and treatment
• 13:44: Story 3: Float nurse to med spa owner — Stephanie Dickens, RN
• 15:18: Story 4: School nurse fired after refusing an assignment

Links:

• Nurse.org news: nurse.org/news
• Club Nurse Podcast: nurse.org/clubnurse
• Follow Colton: @NurseDaddys / @ColtonLord17

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

This week on the Club Nurse Podcast, host Colton Lord breaks down the biggest stories in nursing news. A judge rules that an Alabama hospital must face a wrongful death lawsuit after nurse Ada Doss was killed in a hospital parking lot. The American Nurses Foundation opens applications for eight $15,000 well-being grants for rural nurses. TIME and Johnson & Johnson launch a new Healthcare Champion of the Year award that nurses can win. Nurse.org's Nursing AI Watch reveals 127 AI deployments across 106 health systems — with almost no nurses shaping AI governance — and the AMA may build billing codes for AI before nursing ever gets its own. Plus, Nurse.org launches a new Financial Security for Nurses resource center with free quizzes, calculators, and guides. Read more at nurse.org/news.

Jump Ahead:

• 00:21 — Welcome + Colton's LA apartment vs. no air conditioning
• 03:30 — Story 1: Judge denies hospital's motion to dismiss in the wrongful death case of nurse Ada Doss (DCH Regional Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, AL)
• 05:41 — Story 2: American Nurses Foundation opens eight $15,000 well-being microgrants for rural healthcare sites, backed by the Covista Foundation
• 07:41 — Story 3: TIME + Johnson & Johnson launch the Healthcare Champion of the Year award — nominations open through August 28, 2026
• 10:09 — Story 4: Nursing AI Watch — 127 AI deployments across 106 health systems, plus why AI may get billing codes before nursing does
• 15:45 — Story 5: Nurse.org's new Financial Security for Nurses resource center, guided by Elaine Mala (@NurseWhoInvests)

Resources mentioned:

• All source articles: nurse.org/news
• Financial Security for Nurses resource center: nurse.org/financial-services
• Nurse appreciation events: nurse.org/nursenight
• Nurse discounts: nurse.org/discounts

Each story comes with Colton's honest take on what it means for nurses on the ground.

Follow Colton on socials: @NurseDaddies or @ColtonLord17

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

In this episode, Colton covers the U.S. Department of Justice's largest-ever healthcare fraud takedown, with 455 defendants and $6.5 billion in alleged fraud spanning home health, hospice, wound care, and telehealth. He also digs into a Love Island USA moment that had social media talking after a nursing grad mixed up visual acuity scores on camera, the story of EMT Simone Kelly going viral for saving a life at the Knicks parade, and a Nevada nurse practitioner charged in a $906 million skin graft fraud scheme that funded her Ferrari, Bulgari necklace, and Hawaii home.

The biggest data drop of the episode: Nurse.org's 2026 patient ratio poll of over 600 nurses. The median worst-ever ratio in acute care was 16 to 1. In long-term care, it was 46 to 1 — with some nurses reporting worst-ever ratios of 80 to 120 patients.

Jump Ahead: 

00:21 — Welcome back and intro to this week's nurse news segment

00:50 — Story 1: DOJ charges 455 in largest healthcare fraud takedown in history

02:00 — Which settings and clinicians are under scrutiny

03:00 — The amniotic wound allograft scheme and hospice fraud cases

04:15 — What nurses need to sit with about their signatures and documentation

05:30 — Story 2: Love Island's Kenzie Annis and the visual acuity mix-up

07:00 — Colton's take: we all make mistakes, girl

08:11 — Story 3: EMT Simone Kelly saves a life at the Knicks parade

09:30 — Why EMTs and paramedics are unsung heroes

10:15 — Why you might want to carry Narcan on you

11:00 — Story 4: Nurse.org's 2026 patient ratio poll — 600+ nurses share their worst

12:00 — Acute care median: 16 to 1. Long-term care median: 46 to 1

13:00 — Long-term care nurses reporting 60, 80, even 120 patients per nurse

13:45 — The Joint Commission is paying attention

14:30 — Story 5: Nevada NP Marziel Yuki indicted in $906M skin graft fraud

15:30 — The Ferrari, the Bulgari, the Hawaii home, the Philippines beach resort

16:30 — Why skin substitute fraud is a growing federal enforcement focus

17:15 — Closing message: be honest, have morals

17:45 — Sign-off

Each story comes with Colton's honest take on what it means for nurses on the ground.

For full articles and updates, visit nurse.org/news. Listen to the full episode at nurse.org/clubnurse.

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

Host Colton Lord is back with another nurse news segment of the Club Nurse Podcast, breaking down five of the biggest stories in nursing this week.

In this episode, Colton covers the American Nurses Association's lawsuit against the Department of Education over the new $100,000 federal loan cap for nursing graduate students, a King County conviction that exposed a fake nurse staffing scheme placing unlicensed workers in long-term care facilities, the tragic death of a 19-year-old CNA who collapsed on shift at Children's of Alabama, California's hard-won safe staffing ratios for psychiatric nurses after 27 years of waiting, and a story that proves AI still can't replace human eyes — a nurse anesthetist diverted fentanyl for months while AI monitoring software missed every red flag.

Jump Ahead

00:33 — Welcome back and intro to this week's nurse news segment

00:50 — Story 1: ANA and 9 nursing groups sue the Department of Education over the $100,000 federal loan cap

03:30 — Why the professional degree designation matters for funding

05:00 — Story 2: King County jury convicts the boss behind a fake nurse staffing scheme

07:42 — Story 3: 19-year-old CNA Joquia Renee Morgan dies one hour after collapsing on shift

09:30 — Why nurses need permission to take care of themselves at work

10:30 — Story 4: California's psychiatric nurses win safe staffing ratios after 27 years

12:30 — The cost, the delay, and what nurses are still pushing for

13:30 — Story 5: AI fails to catch a nurse anesthetist diverting fentanyl for 4 months

15:30 — Why AI still needs humans in healthcare

16:30 — Closing thanks and where to find more

Each story comes with Colton's honest take on what it means for nurses on the ground and why staying informed matters. Whether you're at the bedside or working in a non-clinical role, these are the stories shaping nursing right now.

For full articles and updates, visit nurse.org/news. Listen to the full episode at nurse.org/clubnurse.

nurse news, Club Nurse Podcast, ANA lawsuit, federal loan cap nursing, fake nurses, CNA death, safe staffing, psychiatric nurse ratios, drug diversion, AI healthcare, Colton Lord, nursing news 2026, healthcare policy, nurse workforce, nurse advocacy

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

We spotlight the nurse and mom behind the viral children’s character Nurse Dolly. Georgia nurse Emari Etta-Tawo created the YouTube series Mini Med School to help kids feel less afraid of doctor visits through songs, storytelling, stuffed animals, and playful medical lessons.

We discuss how Nurse Dolly is making health education fun and accessible for families, why representation in healthcare matters, and how one nurse’s creativity is inspiring the next generation of caregivers. Plus, hear how parents and fellow nurses are responding to the show’s trusted, educational approach to teaching kids about hygiene, anatomy, wellness, and confidence in healthcare settings.

Tune in to learn how Nurse Dolly is turning nursing knowledge into singalongs, smiles, and meaningful impact for children everywhere.

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton

Nurse, patient, and founder Rachell Dumas joins host Colton Lord on the Club Nurse Podcast to share how her own near-death experience inspired HEARD, an AI-powered app helping patients advocate for themselves.

Rachell has a background in trauma, neuro ICU, and COVID care, and traveled to New York City during the height of the pandemic. After nine pregnancy losses, two brain surgeries, and being dismissed in the ER while showing stroke symptoms, she built HEARD to give patients the tools she had as a nurse: research, real-time guidance, and a way to escalate care when something is wrong.

In this episode, Rachell and Colton dig into why misdiagnosis kills 250,000 patients a year, how AI can both help and harm in healthcare, and why nurses are some of the best innovators in the country. She also opens up about the trauma of COVID, the power of therapy, and why every nurse should trust their instincts.

If you're a nurse with an idea, a patient who feels unheard, or someone curious about where AI and healthcare meet, this conversation is for you.

Learn more at myherdapp.com. Listen to the full episode at nurse.org/clubnurse.

Connect with Colton on social media:

Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
TikTok: @nursecolton

🎙️ About the Club Nurse Podcast

Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share it with a colleague.

🌐 Connect With Us

• Official Website: Visit nurse.org/clubnurse for episodes, articles, and exclusive nursing resources.
• Watch on YouTube: Subscribe to Club Nurse on YouTube to watch full video episodes and highlights.
• Follow Nurse.org:
  • Instagram: @nurse_org
  • Facebook: @nurse-org
  • LinkedIn: @nurse-org
  • TikTok: @nurse.org

Connect with Colton on social media:

• Instagram: @coltonalanlord, @club.nurse
• TikTok: @nursecolton