We recorded live at NurseCon 2026, and this episode went exactly where you would expect: medication errors, ER nurse chaos, wild audience stories, burnout, nurse ratios, and one very unfortunate cruise laxative situation.

We react to shocking med error stories, including insulin mistaken for Lasix, Lantus pushed IV, mannitol into a lumbar drain, cough syrup through an IV, and the kinds of medical stories that make every nurse double check everything forever.

We also talk about our own early nursing mistakes, why errors are often bigger than one person, the Swiss cheese effect, post-Covid burnout, bad preceptor experiences, and why nurses need spaces where they can laugh, vent, and feel understood.

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of Caitlin Armstrong and Karlie Tooley and do not represent the views, policies, or positions of their current or former employers, hospitals, healthcare organizations, or any affiliated institutions. This podcast is for entertainment and general discussion purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.

00:00 Struggling for My Life

00:27 Clocked In Live at NurseCon

01:08 Who We Are and Why We’re Here

02:11 From Secret TikToks to Med Errors

03:14 Taking Medication Errors Live

04:48 Every Nurse Has a Med Error Story

05:13 Blood in 15 Seconds and Morphine Allergies

06:13 Insulin Instead of Lasix

07:19 Amiodarone for Bradycardia?

08:09 Full Bottle of Lantus IV Push

09:19 Cough Syrup Through an IV

10:23 The PCA Pump That Went Nowhere

11:47 Why Nursing Mistakes Are So Scary

13:14 The Allergy Miss That Became an Airway Emergency

14:30 The Swiss Cheese Effect

15:19 Nurse Ratios Around the Country

16:36 8 Patients on Night Shift

17:29 The Most Unhinged Nurse Would You Rather

20:11 Alcohol Withdrawal or Psych C Diff?

21:27 ER Nurse Red Flags

24:18 NurseCon, Burnout, and Finding Your People

24:55 The Cruise Laxative Incident

28:12 Taco Bell in the Driveway

28:43 Nurses Know How to Let Loose

32:26 Why We Talk About the Hard Stuff

34:42 New Nurses, Burnout, and Bad Preceptors

39:12 How Covid Changed Healthcare